Crossover
by Differing Fools
Summary: Four SI characters are thrust together. Featuring the talents of SleepingBear, ShroudKing, AlanAlectai, and EternallyLost.
1. Introductions

Crossover

A merged SI fic

Written By: The Differing Fools

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Chapter One

Introductions

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Eryn Belmont had the worst luck in the universe, or at least he thought so.

First he had been dragged out of his life as a nice young otaku.

Next he had accepted a deal with an unknown entity, merely because he had been having a headache and didn't want to deal with listening to what the man had to say.

After that, he had found himself bombarded in stereo by voices in his head; that is, until he fell into a nice cold pool. Soon after that he had found out that he was now cursed thanks to that nice little pool every time he was splashed with cold water not only would he turn into a girl, he would also lose control of his body to another personality; a very, very, very annoying personality.

In his male form he had found himself full of power and skill, unfortunately, as he had come to learn, he really didn't know how to use said power or skill properly which usually resulted in pain... his pain.

He had eventually made his way to Japan, where, through bad luck, he had crossed the path of a mentally unstable gymnast on someone's roof. Apparently the gymnast found that because he had accidentally saved her he was her destined lover. He did not agree with this opinion in the least.

He usually spent his time nowadays either attending High School, avoiding the psycho gymnast, or avoiding water.

Oh and lets not forget, his 'beloved' other personality had recently begun to do two things; first it would now 'talk' to him in his head when he was in male form, and second it had recently started a relationship during the time it spent in control of their mutual body. The relationship probably wouldn't have been too bad if it hadn't been with the most perverted and deluded person in their age bracket, his eternal enemy, Tatewaki Kuno.

Basically put Eryn Belmont's life was hell, and it was a hell he couldn't escape. Why, you might ask? Well, because, praise the heavens, Eryn had found himself the lucky recipient of the gift of immortality. He wasn't happy about that in the least.

Eryn looked down at himself in disgust. His new body had been one he had always dreamed of having; he had long silver hair that went down to the middle of his shoulder blades, he had a interestingly pale complexion, his eyes had become slate gray in color. He had an odd, almost wiry, muscular build. He was tall now, much taller than he had been before, somewhere just above six foot. He looked over his clothes, the only pair he currently had thanks to his other personality's, Princess, or Gin as he preferred to call her, spending habits. He wore a simple set of baggy black pants, a black sleeveless T-shirt, over which he had a silver hooded pullover, which was oddly also sleeveless. He also had a nice pair of brown steel-toed combat boots adorning his feet. Oh and lets not forget to mention the worn gray denim jacket at his side.

Sighing to himself, Eryn stood up from where he sat on the curb. Turning around, he eyed the Nekohanten, the only place he had been able to obtain gainful employment... God how he hated the amazons.

Scratching his head, Eryn was about to walk back inside when his much renowned dangerous sense suddenly alerted him to something. Spinning around, Eryn was just able to mutter a simple, "Fuck," before the spray from the car that had just passed through the puddle in the middle of the street hit him.

Eyeing herself, Gin Belmont rolled her eyes. She honest-to-god hated Eryn and his 'style.'

Looking back at the Nekohanten, she sighed before making her way into the restaurant and up the stairs into the small room the owner had given her other half, in exchange for a substantial amount taken from his pay. Once inside she looked through the clothing in the small trunk beside where Eryn kept the futon.

After minutes of searching, she came out with a stunning silver silken dress that had an equally stunning low-neck line. The slits up both sides of the already short dress made sure that no man was left without drool covering him. She quickly stripped herself of Eryn's clothing, replacing it with the dress.

She had a fond memory of purchasing it, using Eryn's credit card and spending his entire pay for the month.

Once attired in the dress she searched until she found a nice pair of black high heels. Putting them on, she checked herself out in the nearby mirror. She adored her face, which was a slightly more feminine version of her counterparts; that is, if you ignored the fact that her eyes were a darker shade of gray than his were. Jusenkyo had been very kind to her, as her ample chest proved, and since it was all but showing it was pretty obvious.

Looking down at herself, she smiled one last time before she took Eryn's clothes and placed them, folded neatly, into the small pack Eryn had forced her to agree to begin carrying, just so he wouldn't be stuck to long in her choices of clothing.

She quickly made her way out of the Nekohanten after this, luckily she had avoided any run-ins with the other staff members.

Slowly she made her way down the street one location in her mind. She really wanted to raise Eryn's ire after some of the stunt's he had tried to pull lately, so she was going to make a visit to her 'boyfriends' home.

After half an hour she found herself standing on the doorstep of the Kuno family's mansion, which, she idly thought to herself, was a little small. She licked her lips almost menacingly before she gave a dainty knock at the door.

About ten minutes later, and much angrier, she pounded on the door with her balled up fist.

About a minute after that the door was swung open, two faces greeted her, one soon showed disdain, while the other gained what he thought was a roguish grin.

She was about to comment on the obviously weight increase the girl before her had when she was suddenly struck by a sinking feeling. Looking down, Princess was barely able to note the large circular black void beneath the assembled three's feet before she was sucked in. As she fell she was barely able to utter a enraged, "ERYN!"

-----

It was another usual morning for Kari Umikage. Fourteen years old, though appearing even younger, and attending the local high school, Furinkan, she was anything but normal herself. She had been trained in her family style of ninjitsu for her entire life. She was the equal in fighting ability to the two best martial artists of her generation, Ranma Saotome and Ryoga Hibiki, who were also her best friends.

Said two martial artists were walking along next to her, along with Akane Tendo. Well, Ranma was walking atop the fence, but it's all the same.

Rather than her usual ninja garb, she was dressed in a black sleeveless shirt and camouflage pants. She had often worn it during her travels in China, though she never got a chance to wear it once reaching Nerima. But, with all her other outfits in the wash, this one had been pulled out of her pack for use.

She adjusted the belt she was wearing with the pants. They were from a military surplus store and were for a very short officer, but even that man must have towered over Kari. Fourteen she may have been, but she was also a very short fourteen year-old girl. Most would say she looked twelve, but perhaps even that would make her seem taller than she was. In truth, she was more than a foot shorter than Akane, the shortest girl she knew.

The two girls and two guys were on their way to school. It was a Saturday, but that still meant half-days for all high school Japanese students. It may have been superior in most ways to American education, but school on Saturdays was something all four would gladly do without.

"Jeez, why do we have to go to school, anyway?" Ranma whined, putting his hands behind his head. "You don't need to know this stuff for martial arts."

"Because you don't want to end up like your dad," Kari answered, "that's why."

Akane smiled. "Besides, this way you get to spend some time with your fiancé."

Ranma cringed. "Why would I want to spend more time with you, ya uncute tomboy?"

His fiancé responded by sticking her tongue out at him. "Nyaaah!"

Ranma responded in kind.

"How childish," Kari intoned with a fake sigh.

"Indeed," Ryoga agreed, trying hard to keep from grinning.

Their playful banter was interrupted, rather rudely, by three figures simply falling from the sky. It was most unusual to see, even in Nerima.

Two of the figures landed with a loud thud in the middle of the street right in front of the four teens, but one fell with a loud splash into the canal running to the right of the road.

"Bloody hell," Kari thought to herself before flipping over Ranma's head, landing on the surface of the canal's water. Standing on the surface, only a ripple signifying her standing atop the water, the young girl crouched down. Reaching a hand below the surface, she was able to get a grip of the person's clothes and haul him to the surface.

Getting a good look at the person, Kari reached a conclusion. "Oh, it's just Kuno." So she let go, allowing Kuno to sputter a moment in the water.

She leapt off the water as if it were dry land, making a landing near her original position. Akane and Ryoga were each helping the other two people up. One was a girl Kari immediately recognized, even if she hadn't seen her in this lifetime. Kodachi Kuno, psychotic gymnast and sister of the equally insane Tatewaki Kuno. She had been hoping to avoid that bullet for as long as possible, and certainly hadn't expected her to show up like this.

The other girl was a complete mystery to Kari. Wearing an ostentatious silver dress, she appeared to be a friend of Kodachi's, though the silver hair was rather unusual, she thought. Well, maybe not as odd as her own blue.

"What sort of foul sorcery is this?!" Kuno yelled from the water, dragging himself out of the canal. His soaked hakama weighed him down, but he ignored the weight the way only a Kuno can ignore something.

"The water walking or the falling out of the sky?" Kari asked with complete seriousness. Knowing Kuno, he could have been referring to either.

Instead of answering, the eldest of the siblings pointed an accusing finger at Ranma. "Foul sorcerer, this is your doing!"

"Sorcerer?" Ranma asked, pointing a finger at himself. "I don't know any magic!"

"It's just his usual idiocy, Ranma," Akane piped up. She was looking at the girl in silver, who she had helped up. "I know that idiot, Kuno, but who are you two?"

The girl brushed off her dress. "And what is that supposed to mean, my dear Akane?"

"Definitely a friend of Kodachi's," Kari mentally categorized. The young ninja was at least sure of that. But how did she know Akane?

She stuck up her nose, looking down at the group, before turning to Kari. "I know of the others, but who are you, girl?"

"Isn't it polite to give your own name first?" the ninja replied, using one of Kuno's old lines.

"Of course." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling in a way only somebody self-assured and confident could. "My name is Gin Belmont, girlfriend to the lovely boy in the hakama."

Kari, Ranma, Ryoga, and Akane all began to look shocked.

"Kuno has a girlfriend?" the bandana-clad boy muttered in horror.

"Peasant," Kodachi began, "tell us how we came to be here."

All eyes turned to Kodachi, and it was Akane who spoke first. "Who are you, anyway?"

"Kodachi Kuno," Kari responded before she had a chance to speak. "Deluded sister to Tatewaki Kuno. All-around psycho."

There was bound to be some confusion, as in the world this Kodachi was from she had already met with Ranma, Akane, and Ryoga. Or, at least, there was bound to be confusion if either of the Kuno siblings had more common sense than a gnat. Which meant that neither noticed anything strange.

Instead, Kodachi chose to respond to the younger girl's insult. "Peasant, who are you to speak in such a way to me?!"

"My name's Kari Umikage," the girl responded. "If you want to fight, Kodachi, I'll be happy to oblige."

"Whoa, come on, hold up here."

All eyes turned to the one who was interrupting, Ranma. The boy was holding his arms in front of him, trying to stop everything from happening. "Okay, now what the hell is going on here? People don't just fall from the sky, you know."

"I've seen weirder," Kari commented idly.

"Is it truly that strange?" Kodachi asked.

Everybody took a moment to blink.

Princess was the first to answer. "Yes, I think it is, actually."

"Maybe we can stop by Dr. Tofu's," Akane suggested. "Then we can all sort out what's going on."

"I already know what is going on," the kendoist announced, raising his bokken into the air. When has he pulled that out? "The foul sorcerer Saotome has taken the noble family Kuno and my consort in order to wreak havoc among our group! But fear not, for I shall slay this practitioner of dark magic, not only for myself, but for the lovely Akane Tendo, pigtailed girl, and Gin as well!"

Princess walked over to him, looping her arm into his. "Come now, Kuno dear, everybody else has left while you were ranting."

Kuno scowled. "That foul Saotome must have feared my prowess and ran."

Princess rolled her eyes. "Indeed, indeed."

-----

"This sounds most strange," Dr. Tofu commented.

All of the teenagers were gathered in the lobby of Dr. Tofu's clinic. Kuno was admiring the katana on the young chiropractor's wall, Princess standing with him. Akane and Kodachi were both sitting in some of the seats of the reception area, the Kuno taking care to sit far away from the peasant. The others were all standing with Dr. Tofu.

Dr. Tofu rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well, from what those three say, I would say that they're from an alternate timeline."

"How so, doctor?" Kari asked, looking up at the older man, as if she had any other way to look at people.

"It seems those people have already met most of you, while you claim you've never met them. It's not a hard conclusion to reach, by any means."

Princess decided to let her boyfriend gaze at the katana some more, but she was growing bored with it quickly. She marched daintily (is that an oxymoron?) over to the doctor. Looking him from toe to top, she spoke. "If this is truly some alternate timeline, then how would we go about getting back, doctor?" She paid no mind as Kodachi approached, for once interested in what other people said.

"Most likely-"

Anything he was about to say was cut off when another portal appeared. Inky blackness spread out from between Kari and Princess, catching both girls as well as Kodachi as they stood, gaping.

"Kari!" Ryoga bellowed, rushing into the portal. He was able to get to the edge and grab a hold of Kari's arm.

Kuno took Ryoga's example, rushing forward to help free his girlfriend. He managed to get her arm, but was having no luck pulling her free from the inky black void.

Dr. Tofu and Ranma also rushed to help. However, before they got very far a burst of lightning, black in color, burst forth from the portal, flinging both men back.

"It looks like something's keeping us from interfering!" Dr. Tofu shouted over the noise of the black lightning.

Kari closed her eyes. She could feel the void as she sunk into it. She could also feel Ryoga's hand on her bare arm, no longer struggling to pull her free. He was caught in it as well.

Kuno, Kodachi, Princess, Kari, and Ryoga all fell into the void.

Ranma, Akane, and Dr. Tofu all stared, dumbfounded.

-----

I've always enjoyed walking. It helps me think and gives me a chance to be alone with those thoughts.

It was early evening with the last gasps of daylight casting crimson rays against the cloud from beyond the horizon. Those very same clouds had just gotten through dropping a cool rain over the city.

The memories of the past walked with me as I made my way down the damp streets. I swung my umbrella like a cane. I was once an ordinary human being living a relatively ordinary life. Then I had found myself inserted into the Ranma universe.

There had been ups and there had been downs. I had been given a front row seat to the theatre that was the Nerima district. In time I had even become a player in the show. I was now a Ronin at least as skilled as Kuno and many times brighter. I mastered two chi techniques allowing me to sense people around me and to infuse chi into a blade. I was friend and ally to both the Tendo and Saotome families. In fact, I had taken the Tendo name when I married Nabiki. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I had gotten myself cursed, like Ranma, to turn into a girl when splashed with cold water.

All of this because of some game two dragons were playing. I can't say that I minded all that much, though. There were certainly benefits for me. From them I had received a mystic dragon tattoo that increased my strength and endurance to nearly superhuman levels. I'd also received a small arsenal of magical weapons including a bokuto, a katana, and a bow, along with a collection of arrows. With such boons one could hardly complain at being a pawn in their little chess match.

More recently Nabiki and I had started attending university. It was there that my life got truly interesting. It had all started with that woman. That woman whose name I refuse to even think of. I swear, if I ever meet other beings such as her I will save myself the trouble and slay them on the spot!

Fighting the demons on an almost nightly basis had been bad enough. Even fighting for my life against the Yakuza wasn't the worse thing I'd had to bear. No, because of her I had known hell. Because of her I had worn a fuku! Fighting in heels was bad enough, but now there was the added worry that some monster was looking up my skirt.

Such thoughts weren't the only things that had me out walking the damp night streets.

There was something very wrong in the ambient ebb and flow of the cities chi.

I had never felt anything quite like this before and it had me restless. I wanted to do something about it, but what was impossible to say. In all honesty I didn't even know what was up, only that there was a slightly sinister feel to it.

Suddenly the feeling coalesced into something tangible. A feeling of evil and dread such as I had never known passed over me. I was momentarily frozen in shock as the sensation passed over me like a cold so bitter it burned.

When the chills passed I was left with the sensation that the source of the feeling came from about five hundred meters away and out of my line of sight.

I pushed against the ground with my legs and was propelled to the roof of a single story strip mall. I ran across the roof in the direction that I felt was the source of my foreboding. Traveling from rooftop to rooftop, I was there in less than three minutes.

There was no way to be sure what to expect when I got there, but the sight that greeted me was far from any of my imaginings. Below me I spotted five people, two girls and three boys. I recognized two of the boys and one of the girls. The boys I recognized were Kuno and Ryoga. The girl that I recognized was Kodachi.

The girl I didn't recognize was wearing an elegant and expensive dress that would have made Nabiki drool and turn green with envy. She also had long silver hair and seemed to regard her surroundings with a critical air. She currently had an arm looped loosely with Kuno's own.

The youngest of the group was the boy that I didn't recognize. He was maybe twelve years old, tops. He was wearing a black sleeveless shirt and camouflage fatigue pants. He seemed to be sticking close to Ryoga. Perhaps the boy saw Ryoga as some sort of older brother figure.

There was something wrong with this picture. I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

It was the boy who noticed me first. He suddenly froze and then glanced up at the roof I was watching them from. I got a good look at his face then. He was something of a pretty boy. No doubt the girls would go nuts for him when he got older. He addressed me in a high-pitched voice. Obviously he hadn't hit puberty yet. "Hey you there. Who are you and what are you doing?"

I leapt down to the sidewalk beside the odd group. "I'm Daisetsu Tendo and I sensed something inexplicable from this area, so came to investigate." I turned to address Ryoga. "Hey buddy, you know what's going on?"

Ryoga's eyes narrowed somewhat in suspicion when I addressed him so casually. "We're not really sure what happened. One minute we were all standing in Dr. Tofu's office and then next we were being sucked through a big black portal and wound up here."

"Though I strained mightily, I was unable to keep my love Gin from being consumed. It was all I, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, could do to ensure the safety of my beloved Akane Tendo," Kuno managed to spout, all in a single breath.

The boy took a step towards me, "Speaking of Akane, you said that your last name was Tendo. You don't know her by any chance, do you?"

I was suspicious but lacked any clear reason to lie. "Sure I know her. She's my little sister."

The boy's eyebrows went up as though that was the last thing he expected to hear.

The woman in the silver dress spoke for the first time since I had seen her. "Perhaps we should all make introductions. I am called Gin, and I am a princess."

Kuno didn't give anyone a chance to go next. "Before you stands Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, age seventeen."

"I am the black rose of St Hebereke's Rhythmic Gymnastics team, Kodachi Kuno." There was a familiar glint of insanity in her eyes that I had hoped I had seen the last of.

Ryoga grinned, showing his fangs. "Name's Ryoga Hibiki, glad to meet you Daisetsu."

Finally the boy spoke, "My name is Kari Umikage."

I frowned at that last introduction. "Isn't that a girls name?"

The young boy rolled his eyes and sighed in exaggerated exasperation common to most prepubescent children. "Yes it is."

"Sorry about your luck then." I couldn't imagine any parents being so cruel as to name their son Kari. It briefly reminded me of a Johnny Cash song. Maybe I better be careful. The kid held himself like a fighter and had probably fought his whole life with a name like that.

Kari seemed ready to say something more, but Ryoga spoke up first.

"Alright then, where do we go from here?"


	2. The Path of a Martial Artist

Chapter Two

The Path of a Martial Artist

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"So let me get this straight." Daisetsu was gently caressing his right temple with two fingers. "The five of you have all arrived here from parallel dimensions with absolutely no idea how you got here?"

There was a general nodding of heads from the other five teenagers gathered.

Daisetsu nodded and smiled brightly at the gathered teens. "I see. Well since this has absolutely nothing to do with me, I wish you all luck with your lives." With that, he started to walk off into the night.

"What? You can't just abandon us like this!" Gin couldn't believe this guy wasn't falling over himself trying to help her out. Most of his 'type' were suckers for damsels in distress and unlike so many times in the past, she actually qualified this time out. A plaintive whine escaped her lips. "We need you!"

That caused the boy to pause momentarily in his trek. Something was telling him he'd regret getting involved with these people.

Tatewaki Kuno wasn't concerned. "Fear not princess. All we have to do is find this world's version of myself. My generosity is beyond measure. Surely we will be taken in and given all we should need."

Gin did some quick mental calculations. She had never taken Kuno for the generous sort, more like a fool and his money. Still, for her purposes any fool would do. So would any Kuno for that matter. And given a choice between one that was penniless and one who had the Kuno fortune at his disposal... well there really wasn't any choice at all. "Why Kuno, how absolutely brilliant of you. That's just what we should do."

Daisetsu continued walking again. Let them be the Kuno's problem.

"But what about us?" Kari was suddenly uncertain about the future. The idea of having no one to turn to in this world was scary. It wasn't much, but so far this little group was all that she had that was familiar to her. "Are Ryoga and I going to just live on the streets or something?"

Again, Daisetsu paused. The boy's comment had struck a cord from his past. He knew that Ryoga could handle it but it was not sort of a life for a young boy. The Ronin-errant clenched his fists.

Ryoga comforted his best friend. "What about your dad Kari? Maybe he exists in this world as well. I'm sure once you demonstrate your family's form he'll be willing to take us in. At least help us out."

That seemed to reassure Kari. Her dad could be a bit of a flake at times but he had a good heart. "You're right Ryoga. I'm sure that's all we need to do." She even managed to smile. Things weren't so bad. "Yeah, so thanks for nothing buddy." She shot at Daisetsu's back.

'That's right,' thought Daisetsu, 'they're not my problem so I don't need to get involved. All I have to do is walk away.' His feet seemed unwilling to comply however. Finally he sighed and turned around. "Look, if things don't work out for you guys, I'll give you my number. I should be able to help you work out something." He reached into his coat for a small pad of paper and a pen. He wrote out his number on two sheets of paper and gave one to each of the two departing groups. He sincerely hoped neither group would need to use it.

-----

Kari watched as the scenery flashed by. She couldn't get much looking by, as the bullet train was going at speeds close to 300 kilometers per hour. She had a seat on the Yamabiko bullet train, running from Tokyo to some other city. She really didn't care what the ending point was; her only concern was with the stop at Sendai.

Her home was there. So was Ryoga's, as a matter of fact.

To be more precise, her home was in another Sendai. A Sendai of another dimension. It didn't sit well with her, that she was separated from family and friends by far more than even a million miles.

It had happened to her once before, of course. Ever since her wish, she had been living in the world of Ranma ½. Back when she had been a male fan of anime at the lowest point of his life. But her new life had been better, in most ways.

She stole a glance at Ryoga. Her bandana-clad friend was watching the scenery go by as well. He seemed to take things... so much better than she did. He took them in stride, and she was struggling inside to not break down. To adjust.

Why did these things happen? It had been an ordinary day...

But then things were turned around. Her life had been thrown around, and, like a passenger on the Titanic, she found herself in cold, unfamiliar, and unbearable waters with only a single life preserver, her friend Ryoga.

She shook her head. Her father would also be there for her. Even if she didn't exist here, which she was sure she didn't, he would believe her story. She could have a father and her friend, bar all else.

"It's only a little longer," Ryoga commented, startling Kari a bit. The train car had been completely silent, as a single girl, busy reading the latest shoujo manga, was the only other occupant.

"Yeah," the ninja replied. It was only a 100-minute trip from Tokyo to Sendai, and it had been an hour and a half, give or take a few minutes.

The oldest of the pair sighed, wishing he had brought his umbrella, or at least his pack, with him. He didn't voice his worries, but if Shinzumaru, Kari's father, wasn't where they hoped he would be, then they would be out on the street. And, without his pack, they weren't in much shape for that. Heck, they had spent half their money just for the train tickets.

Idly, he gripped the sheet of paper Daisetsu had given him. It was folded in the right pocket of his pants, and its feel reassured him.

Maybe they wouldn't be in such bad shape.

----

Kari pointed to the building. A large sign in the front read "Akimachi School for Boys." She was smiling as she said, "Bring back any memories?"

Ryoga snorted. "Too many, if you ask me." It's where he had met Ranma for the first time. He hadn't met Kari there, though the day after their meeting she had started attending under the guise of a boy.

He had also met his true rival there, a boy by the name of Ryo Sakegachi. He idly rubbed a rib where Ryo had hit him with that blasted technique of his last week.

Kari began to walk ahead, away from her old school. "Come on, Padfoot, we got a ways to go."

"Not if we go by rooftop," Ryoga replied. He leapt onto the top of a building across the street.

The young girl nodded. "Good point." Leaping up after him, she did have something to add, though. "But it'd be nice if we went the right way."

Ryoga rubbed the back of his head. "Hehe... right."

The two made their way at a fast clip toward Kari's home, or at least where her home was in their original dimension.

"Hold up a second," the girl said, stopping atop a roof and glancing at the building across the street.

"What is it?" Ryoga asked, stopping behind his companion.

Kari waved her hand toward the building across the street. "That was my father's forge."

The martial artist looked over. Instead of seeing a forge, however, he saw a toy store, as advertised by the colorful sign out front. "Is your father a toy maker in this dimension, maybe?"

For some reason, Kari doubted that. Without saying a word, she bounded off toward her home, just slow enough for Ryoga to keep up. She was extremely anxious now, but not to the point she'd leave Ryoga alone to get lost.

They made it to the house quickly. Landing easily in front of the modest two-story home, Kari stepped forward to knock on the door, rapping it with the back of her hand.

After five minutes, they tried the door.

"It's locked," Kari muttered.

"Step back," her companion said, his voice firm. He was stepping forward, fist cocked back.

"I think not," the ninja replied. Reaching into a pocket of her military pants, she pulled out a small pin. "I'm a ninja, remember?"

The boy grinned sheepishly. "Well, how was I supposed to know you brought it with you?" It's almost as if she was prepared to be sucked into an alternate dimension.

"A ninja is always prepared," Kari said, taking one of her father's old comments in training. Within a few moments the door was open and the two made their way inside.

It wasn't what either expected. Kari expected her home, albeit without some touches she had herself made. Ryoga expected an abandoned house, or possibly somebody else's home.

It was definitely Shinzumaru's house, though, judging by the fact the man was sleeping soundly on the ground, a bottle of beer clutched in a hand. He had a rather sizable beard that came from having not shaven in quite some time and a bit less of the muscular frame Kari was used to.

The house itself was a wreck. The furniture was all ruined, stained, or broken. Pizza boxes and beer bottles littered the floor and piled high on the kitchen table, which had a broken leg held together with duct tape. The entire place reeked, too, a mix of various stenches, none of which seemed healthy.

Kari did the first thing that came to mind. "Oh my God!" she cried, launching herself onto her father like an Amazon onto her husband, though with less nuzzling and more grieving. "Dad, what's happened to you?!"

The eldest Umikage opened his eyes. "Eh? Wuz goin' on?" His voice was slurred from alcohol, though he still knew enough to feel the girl latched onto him.

Ryoga looked away. "Kari..."

The young girl had tears in her eyes as she hugged her father. "Is this what happens without me, dad?"

The man seemed to sober up a little, looking at the girl with her arms around him. "Who... are you?"

"I think it's best if we go, Kari," Ryoga muttered, looking at his friend.

"I can't just leave him like this!" the girl cried, shaking her head so violently she actually caught her father several times with her long blue hair.

"Look, kid," the man said, getting Kari's arms and pushing her away from him. He sat up, looking her in the eyes. They shone with intelligence, not like the eyes of a drunken man throwing his life away with booze. "You can't judge the way I live my life. I can live it as I choose, so don't feel pity for me."

Ryoga could see the hurt in Kari's eyes, seeing her father like this. "He won't be able to help us, and we can't help him."

"I'm beyond that," the man said, lying down on the ground. He turned over, putting his back to the two teens. "You found your way in, you can find your way out, too."

The two made their way reluctantly out of the elder Umikage's home, Kari more reluctantly than her companion.

Ryoga pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. He'd get to a payphone on his way back to the bullet train. They had just enough money to get back to Tokyo.

It'd be up to Daisetsu to help him and Kari, then.

-----

Three teenagers found themselves standing before the gates of the Kuno Estate. Never before had these gates seemed so daunting to any of them. Never before had they stood before these actual gates.

Tatewaki had the most bravado, if not actual courage so it was he who rapped on the gates in an imperious manner.

It took a couple of moments of impatient waiting before the gates swung open to reveal Sasuke. "Master Kuno? Mistress Kodachi? What are you two doing knocking and who is this lovely young woman with you?"

"This is beyond your understanding Sasuke. Now stand aside." Tatewaki strode past the ninja and the two young women followed his lead. Sasuke was left to close the gate and shake his head.

Gin was thinking to herself. She was fairly certain that the Kuno siblings would be ousted by this world's version of them. No estate was large enough to contain that much ego and insanity. Still, there shouldn't be a problem with her getting in with this Kuno. Maybe she could shine on Kodachi as well. At least until she found a way to dispose of the lunatic.

The three teens took advantage of the private baths and then raided the kitchen to fill very empty stomachs. Between them, they'd barely had enough cash to catch a train this far. Food had been out of the question. Gin cursed the fact that all the credit cards they carried were no good here, though they had tried.

There was a strange pause to the gorging of faces in the kitchen when Tatewaki Kuno walked in. This Kendoist was slightly taller, and slightly more filled out then the one that Gin knew. And he was an _older_ boy. This was getting better by the second.

"What is the meaning of this? Who are you people and what are you doing in my home?" The elder Kuno produced his bokuto at a speed that made it impossible to see where it had come from. All his attention and ire was focused on the one that bore his face. "You there! You must be that vile sorcerer copycat Ken. You have nerve to face me in my own home, I'll grant you that much. Let me assure you however that I have improved a hundred fold since our last match."

The younger Kuno held up his hands in protest. "You are mistaken though foul sorcery is involved. No doubt I am a victim of that Ranma Saotome. We are travelers from a parallel world and have come to seek your hospitality."

The elder Kuno wasn't having any of it. "You expect me to believe that rubbish? I'd have to be crazy. We live not in a world of fairies and oni. Such tales are the fodder of children! For insulting my intelligence and tarnishing the name of Kuno with your visage I shall punish you!"

The ensuing fight was brief with the younger Kuno being ejected unceremoniously from the estate grounds. In an uncharacteristic act of sisterly concern, Kodachi rushed out to tend to her stricken brother. Perhaps she was afraid that she would be the next to be attacked if she lingered.

Gin made her move. "Oh thank god! You valiant man! You saved me from the foul sorcery that those two had me under."

Kuno eyed her suspiciously. "Who are thou?"

The woman bowed deeply, "Please forgive my impertinence. I am Gin, a princess."

As expected, Kuno started to warm up to her. "A princess? Held by vile sorcery? It is fortune indeed that brought you to house Kuno. I will allow you to thank me by dating with me!"

A broad smile crossed Gin's curved lips. "How very noble and charitable of you. I accept."

Just then, Sasuke walked in bearing a tray holding a tea set. He tripped over some plates dropped by the recently departed Kuno's and through the tray and all its contents over Princess.

Eryn stood before Kuno in a now soaked and stained dress. He was disoriented but managed to think. 'Damn, princess has been up to it again.'

"What is this?" Kuno demanded. "You are really a man? How dare you try to trick me vile deceiver?! I will never forgive you!" With a mighty swing from his Bokuto, Kuno sent the interloper flying through the roof.

Gin cursed as she pulled herself out of the pond. She was wet and angry and had just been forced to stare down a hungry crocodile. Leave it to Eryn to screw things up for her. She marched out the gates to join 'her' Kuno's. "What do we do now?"

Kodachi considered. "Perhaps we should take that Daisetsu person up on his offer."

Tatewaki nodded. "He doesn't seem like such a bad sort really."

"But how are we going to get back to Tokyo?" whined Gin.

The gates opened and an older Kodachi walked out. She eyed the trio critically for a moment. "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would not believe it."

The younger Kodachi assumed a defensive pose. "If it's a fight you want, I am ready for you."

The elder girl gazed into her doppelganger's eyes. "I remember you, even if you don't know me. I hope you do in time for I have grown to pity you greatly. I thought I hated you, but it is pity I feel." She dropped a bag at the feet of the three teens. "Here is some food. It should last you a few days at least." She handed her double a billfold. "Here is some money. It's not much but it should help you out until you figure out what to do. Please don't return here however. Whatever your origins, you are not welcome." Without a further word she turned on her heel and went back inside, the gates closing behind her.

The three dimensionally displaced teens looked at each other. They nodded as one and walked to the train station without further word.


	3. Coming Together

Chapter Three

Coming Together

-----

Daisetsu Tendo was not a happy camper. It was way too early in the morning to be doing this sort of thing. Normally the Ronin would be with his wife, or perhaps off in a class. Since it was a weekend, most definitely the former.

However, he had received a call last night from a voice he hadn't expected, nor particularly wanted to hear. It was Ryoga Hibiki.

Granted, if it was his old friend then he wouldn't have minded. But this caller was the double, the one from an alternate reality. He had felt guilty when he gave the boy his phone number, but he couldn't really think of anything he could do for the alternate Ryoga and his young friend.

That's when he heard the youngest boy crying over the phone.

Sometimes guilt could be more motivating than his own wife.

Ryoga had said that he and Kari would stay the night at the train station and head over in the morning. Daisetsu had said that he'd get the two a place to stay.

Nabiki was going to kill him.

His wife had still been sleeping when he left. Not wanting to wake her, the young man had simply written her a short note and left it on the table. "Out to pick up from friends from the train station. Be back soon." Simple and to the point.

A few minutes later he had arrived. The train station was near his University, which also meant that it was near his apartment. And trust his luck to run into an automatic sprinkler system right as he was about to enter the station.

She sighed at the unfairness of it all.

Then things took a turn for the worse.

"Ah! My little fawn!" The voice that Daisetsu knew much too well came from behind the boy-turned-girl. She could feel him entering her circle of chi awareness.

With a groan, Daisetsu turned around just in time for Kuno to throw his arms around the girl.

"Ah! It is good to see you well, my love! I had seen Copycat Ken on the eve of yesterday and felt it necessary to ensure your own safety." He squeezed harder as righteous tears clouded his vision. "One such as he cannot be trusted to remain properly vanquished, and I feared he might come for those I care of after suffering another defeat by my hands!"

Daisetsu struggled to get free, but Kuno really had her in a tight grip this time. She didn't even notice the sounds of the bullet train coming in.

-----

Kari awoke from her slumber with a jolt. The train was slowing down. It surprised her, as the stop was supposed to be totally smooth, but she supposed even Japan's amazing bullet trains could get a bit ill repaired.

"Awake?" a voice asked from beside her.

Kari noticed Ryoga there, not even looking at her. He was staring out the window as they pulled into the Tokyo train station. "Yeah, thanks." It wasn't a casual thanks for his comment; it was a heartfelt thanks for everything he had done for her last night. She had practically broken down, seeing her father like that.

Ryoga shuffled around in his seat, looking over at Kari. He was unused to that kind of attention. "No problem."

The girl stood once the train came to a complete stop. The train was usually sparsely filled at this hour, but on a weekend it was completely empty aside the two teenagers. "Come on," she said, "let's go find Daisetsu."

Together the two made their way out of the train. The station was almost completely empty. Once the two businessmen waiting for the train shuffled onboard, there were only two others.

One was immediately recognized as Kuno. This one, however, appeared older. He was even taller than before, and perhaps with a bit more build.

The other was a girl caught in a crushing hug by Kuno. She was remarkably cute, Kari thought, with her short brown hair that almost reminded her of Akane, though possibly a little longer. She had a nice face, too. Her bust was a little small, but Kari also noticed it didn't stop Kuno from groping.

She couldn't stand to see this happening. If there was one thing Kari hated, it was perverts. She had bad experiences with them. "Hey, Kuno!" she cried, leaping forward.

"Eh?" Kuno looked up from his fawn, only to find a foot heading right for his face. A loud sound reverberated throughout the station as Kari's kick took him directly in the face, sending him flying back and into the wall of the station. He fell down, dazed, though not unconscious.

"You okay?" the young ninja asked, turning toward the brown-haired girl.

She shook her head, shaking it clear of cobwebs. "Er, I'm fine." She gave a thankful smile. "Thanks for the save."

Kari smiled back. "No problem." She extended a hand, a Western gesture she had never left behind in her old life. "My name's Kari Umikage."

The girl automatically grasped it, giving a firm handshake. "Dai, though my friends call me Daichan."

"So, do you mind if I call you Daichan, then?" the younger girl asked.

The other girl blinked. "Um, sure," she replied.

Kari turned around, just as Ryoga approached. "Oi, Ryoga!" She gestured a hand to her new friend. "This is Dai."

Ryoga groaned. "Aren't we looking for Daisetsu?" He looked over this Dai person. She seemed like an ordinary girl, really. But, then again, she was holding herself like an experienced martial artist. "Nice to meet you." He gave a bow.

Dai bowed back. "I heard about you." She straightened her body, looking over the lost boy. "You're an alternate version of my world's Ryoga Hibiki, right?"

Kari responded first. "Daisetsu sent you, then?"

That's when the annoying person made himself known again. "Ah, my love! Fly into my arms!" Kuno tried, again, to catch his object of affection in his arms.

She was more prepared this time, though, and caught him with a swift kick to the chin that sent him out of the station completely.

"Nice kick," Kari admired.

"Thanks."

"So, are you going to take us to Daisetsu?" Ryoga asked, bringing up the subject.

"Ah, no," Dai said, thinking quickly. "He wanted you to meet him at Tokyo University's front entrance. You know where that is, don't you?"

"Yeah," Kari responded. It was nearby, so she could find it easily.

"Well, it's close to his apartment so he'll meet ya there." Dai quickly pulled out a piece of paper and a pen and scribbled something down on it. Handing it to Kari, she explained. "That's my number. Give me a ring if you wanna talk, okay?" It was different than her home number, so Kari wouldn't need to know that she was also Daisetsu.

Kari accepted the paper, folding it and putting it into a pocket. "Thank you."

"No problem," Dai replied. "Well, I gotta be off!"

"Bye," both Ryoga and Kari replied, watching as the girl bounded off. Unbeknownst to them, she was simply going to find some hot water and meet them at the University as a boy.

Daisetsu pondered a moment as she bounded off. She hadn't meant to lie to Kari, not at first, but the boy really had seemed to need a friend. She hoped she wouldn't have to keep the charade up for long.

But if she were going to do it, she'd do it right. She'd need a change of clothes to throw off suspicions.

Good thing her apartment really was close by.

- - - - -

Nabiki was not a morning person. It didn't help matters any when she found that Daisetsu was absent from her side when she woke. She had loved him for some time now, but recently he had become necessary to her.

The two of them had been through a lot in a very short time. It had started when she had accidentally killed a man with Yakuza connections. Daisetsu had taken care of it. He had taken care of her. He had been willing to die for her. He had killed for her.

Supposedly the danger had passed but Nabiki was still afraid and insecure. She'd been having nightmares about it all and so had Daisetsu. The only comfort either of them found was in the arms of the other. It was not to be borne when that comfort was absent.

He'd left a note for her at least. She had no idea who these friends might be. Presumably they were part of the crowd from Nerima, but there was fifteen years of his life that she knew absolutely nothing about. It could be old friends dropping by. Then again it could be those Senshi. If it was that Rei girl then she'd let him know how she felt about –that-. She'd seen how she looked at him. Worse, she had seen how he looked at her.

The middle Tendo daughter's mood was not improved at all when she made it to the bathroom. There were wet clothes in the tub. A quick check revealed that the water boiler hadn't replenished the hot water supply as yet. He'd probably had two hot showers this morning. And now she would have to wait for hers. She glanced in the mirror. Her hair was a frizzled mess.

She heard the door open and went out to meet her 'beloved' husband. Behind him stood Ryoga who was without his pack and a young girl she didn't recognize. Nabiki planted her hands firmly on her hips.

She had to hand it to her man; he had keen survival instincts. "Morning honey. Why don't you go make yourself up while I make breakfast for you and our guests?"

Daisetsu's offer mollified Nabiki somewhat. "Okay Daisetsu. Then you can explain to me what is going on." Using his full name let him know in no uncertain terms that she was not pleased. She retired to their room to select some clothes and to give the boiler some more time to warm up the water to something above frigid.

"You guys make yourselves at home, I'll get things rolling in the kitchen." The young man hurried into the kitchenette as though his life depended on it. Possibly his well being did. He started to prepare perogies, something he had gotten Nabiki hooked on quite a while ago. In one pan he started to fry up diced green and red peppers along with onions in butter. The perogies were set to sizzle in a wok along with some vegetable oil. From the cupboards he fetched some spices and from the fridge he retrieved the sour cream.

Through this whirlwind of domestic activity Daisetsu found himself reflecting. He had not been having a good morning. It was bad enough that he'd had to wake up way too early, only to be glomped by Kuno while in his girl form, but then he'd been rescued by a little boy. His ego was taking a bruising. Things had only gotten worse when he'd rushed off to change and shower before meeting his two new charges at the University.

They had been waiting for him at the appointed place. He had greeted them with a friendly, "Hiya guys, ready to go?"

The boy had shot him such a dirty look. He didn't understand it at all. He'd talked as they walked back to his apartment. "I live with my wife, Nabiki Tendo in a single room apartment. You two are welcome to share the pullout couch we have."

"I can't sleep with him!" exclaimed the boy as he jerked a thumb at Ryoga.

Again Daisetsu had been confused. "I don't know what you're making such a big fuss about. It's a big couch, plenty of room for both of you when it's pulled out into a bed."

Ryoga was ever the gentlemen. "Don't worry Kari, I'll sleep on the floor."

Daisetsu shrugged and soon the three were arriving at his apartment. Where Nabiki had been waiting.

Now the young man known to some as the Black Ronin was hastily arranging perogies and sautéed vegetables on four plates.

Kari and Ryoga had not been idle in this time. Both were casually exploring the tiny apartment. Ryoga in particular found a little stuffed plushy black pig with one of his bandannas wrapped around its neck. "Look at this, Kari. Isn't it cute?"

Kari had been examining a katana hanging on the wall over a Buddhist shrine. The handle was wrapped in glossy black leather and ended in a thong, which could wrap around a persons wrist. The sheath was made from what looked like black onyx and was capped with gold. Something about the weapon seemed to be calling out to her. Something she sensed on the periphery of consciousness. Ryoga's question had snapped her out of it. She couldn't help the look of shock on her face as she saw Ryoga holding a stuffed P-chan.

"What?" Ryoga was taken back a bit by the expression on his young friend's face.

"It's nothing," she said quickly with a smile. "It's cute."

The plates were just being laid on the table as Nabiki came back out. She'd managed a lukewarm shower but wasn't feeling much better. She did brighten considerably at the repast Daisetsu had prepared. She wasn't sure where or when he'd learned to cook but she wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. She sat down with the others to eat. The little table had been cozy for Daisetsu and she but was outright crowded with the two guests. "So Ryoga, what brings you and your little friend by?"

The lost boy found it a tad unnerving to be addressed by a person he recognized yet knew wasn't the same person. It seemed also that she knew him, or at least this world's version of him. "Its rather complicated Nabiki." He looked down, not knowing where to start.

The young woman looked between Ryoga and his young friend. She made some lightning fast calculations then came to the conclusion she liked the best. "Ryoga, you didn't get anyone in trouble did you?"

The two houseguests immediately went into full denial mode. They were so empathic that they must either be telling the truth or were the best liars Nabiki had ever come across. She discounted the latter possibility. "Okay then. Maybe you can explain it a little better Tiger. Especially the part where this is our problem."

Daisetsu swallowed the mouthful of food he was chewing. "Well, Biki, it all started the other night when I went out for that walk. Remember how I was feeling restless? Well I sensed something was wrong. When I went to investigate I found a group of people standing lost in the street. After a little conversation I learned something startling."

"Surely that wasn't the fact that Ryoga was among the lost?" Nabiki quipped.

"Not at all." Daisetsu couldn't help but smile. "I learned that they were all from a parallel world to our own. They all seemed to think that they could find people to help them out in this world but I gave them our number just in case."

Nabiki wore a frown. "How charitable of you." Then her eyes narrowed. "How many people were there Tigerchan?"

Daisetsu wasn't fooled by her sweet sounding voice for a minute. "There were three others. Tatewaki Kuno, Kodachi Kuno and some silver haired girl I don't know."

Nabiki stood up suddenly and slammed both fists into the table. "Don't tell me you invited the most insane siblings in any world to come live with us!"

An innocent perogie was being chased around Daisetsu's plate with his chopsticks. "I don't so much invite them to stay with us as promise to help them find a place to stay." He looked up hopefully. "But they went to the Kuno estate. I'm sure we won't hear from them again."

The doorbell rang. Daisetsu's face dropped. Nabiki's frown deepened. Kari and Ryoga ate with gusto. It was really the best meal they'd had in days.

Cursing his luck, Daisetsu went to answer the door. Gin flounced in followed by the Kuno siblings.

Tatewaki looked around the living room slash dining room. "What a small waiting room. I do hope the bedrooms are larger."

Kodachi corrected her brother. "It's not small brother dear, it's quaint. We're guests here, so don't be rude."

Gin furnished Daisetsu with her most brilliant smile. "We called information to get your address since we were in the neighborhood." The truth of the matter was that Gin was well aware that it was harder to get rid of people on your doorstep then it is to over the phone. She agreed with her boyfriend's assessment of the place. Still, it would have to do until she found a sugar daddy.

Nabiki's eye twitched. There were now seven people in her home. Seven people who needed a place to sleep. Seven people who needed to eat. Seven people to use the hot water in the morning. Her eye twitched again. Daisetsu had promised them that he would help them in this world. As his wife she was obligated by that promise. She would have to be their hostess. This was many times worse then when Ranma had shown up on their doorstep two years ago.

The youngest girl seemed to notice Nabiki's state of mind. "If it really is a problem for us to be here, we can move on."

"We'll adapt. I may not like it but I share the responsibilities of my husband." She helped the aforementioned husband clear away the dishes and began preparing breakfast for the three new arrivals. "I'm sure we'll manage just as long as there are no more arrivals or surprises."

Just then Daisetsu's head snapped around to focus on a point on the ceiling. "Umm..."

An inky black portal opened and from its maw dropped a body. The body of a young man with brown hair landed with a thump on the floor. He was wearing a white button up shirt over a black T-shirt. He also had on a pair of jeans and white sneakers. He seemed to be unconscious and the portal was closing just as suddenly as it opened.

There was an eerie calm about Nabiki. "Right." She said as she held out a hand to Daisetsu. "Give me your credit card. I'm going shopping."

Daisetsu handed the card over without protest and then prepared an additional helping of breakfast.


	4. Things That Go Bump in the Night

Chapter Four

Things That Go Bump in the Night

-----

"Ryo! What the hell?!" ranted Clay's face within a magic pool inside a magic cave. "I thought we had an agreement."

"We do, and we have not violated that accord." Ryo was unperturbed in the face of Clay's fury.

"What do you mean you're not in violation of our agreement?" Clay was getting redder by the minute. "I could get them all into your world but now I can't get any of them out!"

Rei interjected into the conversation at this point. "We agreed to allow you to bring the others here and then to allow you to take our avatar away to a new world."

Ryo continued where his wife left off. "The only reason we agreed to that was because we were done our little game with him. Still, we have not reneged. We are not preventing you in anyway from collecting the avatars."

"Bull! If you're not preventing me from retrieving them then who is? I'm warning you, I'll go to my boss over this!" Clay was about as red as he ever got.

Rei openly laughed. "You do that Clay. Go tell your master that you can't extract four mortals from our world, three of them you put there! Tell him you can't overcome the machinations of a single Kitsune."

Clay blinked several times as he digested this information. "A Kitsune? But how? No way a fox spirit has the power to interfere with my plans. You two are lying."

"We are not," they said in unison. Ryo continued. "We're not sure how FoxPaw is doing it, only that it is being done and that they are responsible somehow."

A grin graced Clay's lips. "So you guys can't do anything about this either."

Rei was scandalized. "Certainly we could. If we choose to. We simply choose not to. Besides, the situation has changed. We no longer wish to dispose of our Avatar. The contest is again valid. The introduction of these new factors has added new chaos to the scenario."

Ryo nodded. "And all those strangers are dependent on Daisetsu. Will he bring order to their lives or will they bring chaos to his?"

"NO! This is intolerable. I demand that you turn them all over to me immediately. Eryn at the very least. I created him, he's mine!" Clay was again fuming.

Rei was cheerful as she rebutted. "You have no true power to create, same as us. At best, you modified what was there. As for ownership? Possession is nine tenths of the law."

Clay assumed a threatening posture. "You will turn him over or else I will make you regret it."

Ryo was more serious then his wife. "You will be too weak to confront us on our home turf just as we would be on yours. Accept facts; until the Kitsune stops meddling, the situation stands." The fire dragon's face became a sinister mask. "And if you do think of trespassing here or otherwise interfering with us, your 'property' will be 'modified'. I never really liked the whining bitch anyway."

Clay snorted. "There is nothing you can do to her! I gave her immortality."

The lady dragon was annoyingly unruffled. "What is given can be taken away. Further more, she is not a person, but a curse. The end of her existence is just a cure away. Surely even you must realize that Eryn will come to that conclusion in time."

Clay snorted. "He isn't that clever."

"Granted," agreed Ryo, "but he could easily be guided."

"You wouldn't dare!" Clay couldn't believe the games these two were trying to play with _him_ of all people.

"Only if you crossover. If you don't, then you have nothing to worry about." Ryo was resolute. He smiled gently. "We are not without sympathy to your plight. I can assure you that no cure will work for Eryn until such time as you are able to retrieve him."

"And the others?" inquired only slightly mollified Clay.

"We'll see when the time comes." Replied Rei.

"Fine," sulked Clay. Then he brightened. "Are you guys still on for poker Friday night? Mirus and Louis will both be there."

"Wouldn't miss it," agreed both dragons.

-----

I've been exposed to a few weird things since popping up in Nerima, I've seen a vaguely British arch-demon cringe at puppy-dog eyes, I've seen people destroying property and breaking walls with no regard OR notice to the damage, and I've even taken a trip through Low Earth Orbit and landed on one of those Youma thingies, proceeding to make it kindly leave while I headed back to town. A giant, black dimensional vortex opening after my desperate gamble to defeat our mutual foe backfired.

Said foe was Blue Chaos, a God-moding, power-gaming freak that somehow managed to sneak into that universe, and, despite the best efforts of the currently incomplete Nerima Wrecking Crew, he proved to be an insurmountable foe to take head on. I mean seriously, how the hell do you take on someone at Dragonball Z levels of power in a standard Martial Arts series? In fact, how do you take on a Dragonball Z fighter in ANY situation?

But I digress. When my Moebius Arrow Technique made contact with his nearly full-power Kamehameha in the making, the dimensional rift thingie was most unexpected, it WAS supposed to turn his focused-yet-currently-unfired attack against itself, therefore disabling him from his own power. From what I saw, it DID work, but apparently it had the side effect of opening said vortex a few seconds later, right in front of my face.

Most Unpleasant Surprise, another was that I had indeed, apparently turned up in another universe... Though the female voice DID sound vaguely familiar... Oh well, might as well start gathering information then.

I opened my eyes up slightly, peering up at the ceiling, and yes, it was the ceiling, and I was on the floor. Apparently, I hadn't been here long enough, or I hadn't been deemed important enough, to get a couch. I yawn loudly, and sat up, wincing at one of the bruises I took while the being-who-shall-remain-nameless was "Instructing me not to get in the way of Martial Artists." I really hope he's burning in the deepest pits of hell right now.

-----

"He awakens," a young man said from his spot near the fallen boy. Tatewaki Kuno was sitting in a chair, turned toward the new arrival. He was extremely intent on the teenage boy. He had been watching him for several minutes, waiting for him to stir.

"Ugh," the unknown teenager groaned once he had sat up. He held a hand to his head, which was obviously in a bit of pain. "Where am I?"

"My house," was Daisetsu's reply. He was seated at the table, still, looking down at the new arrival. "All you all right there?" It looked like the boy had a headache, and he was definitely aching in other places; he looked like he was taken from the middle of a brawl.

"I'm fine," the boy replied quickly. To back his statement, he was able to pull himself to his feet. Something seemed off about this place, but he couldn't place it.

Kari stood from her position at the table. Pushing her chair toward the newly arrived teen, she said, "Have a seat." She looked past the boy, toward the Tendo's couch. "We would've given you the couch, but Kodachi and Gin insisted that they should take it."

"It's the right of somebody of my status," was Princess's reply.

"It's all right," the boy muttered, taking the offered seat. The other three at the table were Daisetsu, Ryoga, and Kuno. He had, of course, recognized Ryoga, Kuno, and Kodachi, but for some reason none of them seemed to recognize him. He could tell by the way they were looking him over.

And by the fact Kuno wasn't attacking him.

"Introductions are in order," the eldest Kuno sibling stated. "My name is Tatewaki Kuno, the rising young star of the high school kendo world."

"My name's Ryoga Hibiki," said the fanged boy with a grin.

"Daisetsu Tendo, a pleasure."

"Kari Umikage at your service."

On the couch, Princess spoke up. "My name is Gin Belmont, but I prefer Princess, if you would."

"And I am Kodachi Kuno, star member of the St. Hebereke Rhythmic Gymnastics team." She ended her statement with a brief laugh, which made all gathered glad it was so short.

The young man could feel his head really start to ache. It took him a while, but he finally remembered where he had heard the name Daisetsu Tendo before. Sighing loudly, he mutter in English, "Damn that accursed British Bastard." It was low enough not to be heard by everybody, but they were waiting on his own introduction. "Ah, yes. My name is Seishin Taihei." He smiled at the assembled group. "You can call me Sei, though."

"So, you're from an alternate Nerima, too?" Kari asked. "All the rest of us are."

"The rest of us?" the new arrival wondered, rubbing his temple. Things were definitely weird, here.

"Things'll be easier if we all know each others' stories," Ryoga suggested. "Maybe we can get some sort of better understanding that way?"

Daisetsu nodded. "Not a bad idea." Turning to the new arrival, he asked, "What's your story? My wife won't be back for another few hours, knowing her, so we have plenty of time."

Sei sighed, but reluctantly began his story. He started it off with him moving to Nerima, rather than the being known as Louis bringing him there by an ill-worded wish. But the rest of his story was mostly the same. Mastering the bow to deal with Kuno, learning the several chi techniques he had, the fight with Blue Chaos. It all, of course, led up to the mysterious portal that deposited him in the middle of Daisetsu's apartment.

"Amazing," Kuno said, the first to speak after Sei's tale. "Imagine, an alternate version of myself who is unskilled enough to lose against a bow."

Said bow-user gave the elder Kuno a glare. Just as dumb, he thought to himself.

"He's probably at the same level," Kari commented to the dense kendoist.

"But then how would he be beaten?" Kuno countered, to which the girl rolled her eyes.

"I suppose my story should be the next," Princess said lazily. She didn't feel like explaining everything, but perhaps she could twist the tale to her own benefit. The tale she spun was nothing like the truth, in fact. Jusenkyo wasn't even mentioned, but instead it was a story of herself and how the masses loved and adored her. Her courageous (and rich) boyfriend always by her side, Princess got a legion of adoring fans. It ended, of course, with the unexpected appearance of the portal. That part, at least, was accurate.

Kuno nodded solemnly. "Indeed, that is how it happened."

Several skeptic looks were thrown about, but Daisetsu was narrowing his eyes. He had a few thoughts after hearing that story.

Kari spoke up. "I'll go next." Instead of starting it with Nerima, though, or even her placement into the Ranma universe, she began with her first day of Junior High. Her ill-fated friendship with Itachi, which led to her meeting Ryoga and Ranma. She talked about the tournament that Ryoga and Ranma won, and the two-year trip to China. She purposely skipped over the Amazons, but then went into her meeting the Tendos, her few days at Furinkan High, and even the recent fights that had taken place; her own against Mikado Sanzenin, the perverted one of the Golden Pair, and the fights Ranma and Ryoga had against Nanashi and Ryo. A week later is when they ran into Kuno, Kodachi, and Gin.

Daisetsu, for one, felt extremely taken aback by her story. Not because of anything that had happened to her, really, but because the story revealed that Kari was, in fact, a girl. And here he thought she had been a slightly underdeveloped boy, when in fact she had been a remarkably underdeveloped girl.

"Interesting," was the only comment said aloud, this one coming from Sei.

"And I guess that leaves me," the owner of the apartment said. He, as quickly as possible, recounted the events of his own past. He barely touched on his earlier years of high school, and, in fact, skipped a majority of the most recent events. He didn't want to reveal his curse, Mary Sue, or the fact his wife had committed murder, so all of those were omitted, leaving his story remarkably short for one taking place over so long a period. He did, however, touch upon his role in the game of order and chaos, as well as the various boons each offered. He also included, for Sei's benefit, the arrival of the other out-of-worlders.

"It looks like all of our universes have a lot of similarities," Ryoga remarked, having heard all the stories.

Daisetsu had noticed that, of course. But there were a lot of differences, too, the main ones being the addition of one person who didn't belong in canon Ranma, a different person from each alternate dimension. Princess, Kari, and Sei. He was rapidly approaching the conclusion that they were just like him.

Sei was having much the same line of thought. His, however, was much more certain, having heard the name Daisetsu Tendo in the past.

Kari had, too, arrived at the same conclusion. She began to wonder how exactly she could confirm her suspicions...

"Looks like you've all had it rough," Princess remarked. "I suppose they didn't flock to you as they did me, eh?"

The owner of the house narrowed his eyes. "Hey, Kari. Sei. Gin. Let's all step outside for a second, okay?"

"Why?" was the question Ryoga wanted to know.

Casting a glance in his direction, Kari responded. "Hey, look, no problem, eh? Just stay here and make sure the Kunos don't wreck the place."

The lost boy cast a glance at the siblings. "Good point, somebody has to keep the two in line."

Kuno snorted. "Hardly necessary for one of my stature, I assure you."

"Just humor me," Daisetsu said, walking outside.

Gin rolled her eyes as she followed, the other two behind her.

Once the door was shut, Daisetsu turned to the others with a fake grin on his face. "Tell me, what do you all think of Robotech?"

"Is that why you brought us out here?" Sei wondered. "Just to ask about some crappy mech anime?"

"It was pretty crappy," Kari agreed.

Princess cocked her head to the side for a second, listening to Eryn's voice in her head. "Ah, yes. Worst mecha show ever." She had never seen it, in truth, but Eryn had. She didn't want to seem unknowledgeable in front of these peasants, after all.

"I knew it!" the Tendo declared, pointing an accusing finger at the three. "You're all self-inserts of some kind, aren't you?!"

Sei and Kari were both taken aback while Gin simply shrugged.

"And worse," Daisetsu continued, "you're a Mary Sue." He narrowed his eyes, turning to Princess.

Sei's eyes widened. It made sense, when he thought about it...

It was Kari that snapped the two out of their thoughts. "We might very well be self-inserts, but I doubt she's a Mary Sue."

"Eh?" Sei and Daisetsu turned to the girl, wondering what she was talking about.

"She was obviously lying throughout the whole story." A roll of her eyes followed that statement.

"I was not!" Princess squawked indignantly. "It's below my station to lie!"

"Actually, that probably makes more sense," Daisetsu agreed.

The archer nodded. "Indeed."

"Hey!" Princess cried. "You can't take some peasant's word over my own!"

Any further arguments were stopped when both Daisetsu and Kari turned their heads, almost in unison, at the approaching woman. It was Nabiki, Daisetsu's errant wife.

"Ah, hello honey." Daisetsu gave a fake grin, making it seem as if he was having a simple chat with his guests. "You're done with the shopping, then?" She was home a lot earlier than expected. Or maybe the stories just took up more time than he had realized.

"Yes," was the woman's simple reply. "Now let's go in. It looks like we're all going to be housemates for a while, so we're going to need to adjust."

"Right," her husband said as the group walked inside.

Princess crossed her arms. "Not believing my story," she muttered. "The nerve of some people."

-----

"Thou art hogging the blankets you uncultured swine!" Kuno was cold and when Kuno was cold he could not sleep. When he could not sleep, he got cranky. It was bad enough that Sasuke was not present to attend him but having his blankets stolen was intolerable.

To complicate matters he was sleeping on the floor along with all the other guys collected. As was right and proper, Nabiki and Kodachi shared the main bed while Kari and Gin got to use the pullout bed. While floor space was less then Kuno had for a closet it should still have been enough for all four men to sleep without interfering with each other's rest.

He tugged at the flimsy covering that Daisetsu had somehow ensnared in his sleep. Despite his exertions, he seemed unable to either free his blankie or wake the offending commoner.

He was quite successful in waking Ryoga however. "What the hell are you yelling about Kuno? People are trying to sleep here."

Tatewaki pointed an accusing finger at Daisetsu. "He is stealing my blankets!"

Ryoga rolled his eyes. "Then just take them back."

The kendoist tried just that. Pulling as hard as he could, he could not get the blanket back. In fact, more of it seemed to disappear around Daisetsu. "This is intolerable," complained Kuno as he snatched up his bokuto.

Before Ryoga could object, Kuno was bringing down his bokuto on their prone host. Seconds before it made contact Daisetsu rolled out of the way. Kuno gave chase across the floor, bashing away with his bokuto. The kendoist did not stop even as Daisetsu rolled up and over Sei.

Being rolled upon was enough to wake the archer but not in time to avoid Kuno's blow. "... the hell?! What are doing attacking me in my sleep Kuno?"

Kuno paused in his assault and Daisetsu immediately ceased rolling around on the ground. Through it all he had never stopped snoring softly. "It is he that is our enemy, stealer of blankets that he is!"

Sei was still a little disoriented having just woken up but noticed his own blanket was suddenly missing. It was in fact wrapped around Daisetsu's slumbering form. He wrinkled his brow. He didn't want to believe Kuno, but the evidence was right there, rising and falling in a steady rhythm. He reached out, grabbed the blanket, and then tugged back with all his might.

The blanket did not move, no matter how hard Sei tugged. Suddenly Daisetsu rolled away from Sei and pulled the archer off balance so that he crashed down into the ground face first. To make matters worse Daisetsu rolled back suddenly, one of his arms flailing out randomly and knocking Sei on the top of the head hard.

"If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed it." Ryoga was watching with the same detached interest one observes a train wreck. "I thought it was just a legend. Who would have thought those scrolls of Genma's would hold a grain of truth."

"What nonsense art thou spouting?" demanded Kuno

Sei was likewise confused. "Yeah, what he said."

"I'm not sure," Ryoga said in the voice of one who was actually quite sure but didn't want to seem a fool, "but I think that Daisetsu there is a secret master of one of the most dreaded techniques ever devised." He stood up and clenched a fist. "The dreaded Sleep-Fu! Also known as the Snore-Ken!"

Kuno and Sei both stared at Ryoga for about a minute in stunned silence before they broke out laughing as one body.

The lost boy shook his head. "Laugh if you wish, but I'm telling you it's a real technique that few can master."

The archer was wiping a tear from his eyes. "It's not that we don't believe you fang-boy." He pointed at Ryoga's feet. "It's just that he has your blanket now too."

Ryoga looked down to discover it was in fact true. "What that hell? Hey give that back!" Ryoga snatched at the blanket but Daisetsu rolled away before his fingers made contact.

In short, order all three martial artists were pursuing Daisetsu around the room while he dodged all their attack easily. Occasionally a flailing arm or leg would lash out and strike one of the attackers or else they would be tripped when he rolled into the back of their legs. The whole time he continued to snore softly as though flaunting the complete lack of effort on his part.

"Oi," Sei said, looking over at Ryoga. "Did that scroll say anything about a counter to this technique?"

"Yes," Ryoga replied evenly. "Two words: Run away."

But he couldn't do that. Not with his blanket on the line.

Trying once more, Ryoga's grab was again easily avoided by the sleeping Daisetsu. "Enough of this!" Ryoga was starting to see red. He cocked back his fist and struck with all his might. At the last minute Daisetsu rolled toward Ryoga and was missed by the blow. Ryoga's fist smashed into the floor, splintering it and holding the instrument of destruction firmly in place. In the meantime, Daisetsu continued to roll, tripping up the lost boy with a loud crash.

Kari sat bolt upright in bed and glared at Ryoga and the other two standing martial artists. "Do you guys have any idea what time it is? Can't you train during the day like normal people?"

"But Daisetsu stole our blankets!" rebutted Ryoga.

The young girl eyed Ryoga with his fist in the floor and then the softly snoring Daisetsu. "He's the only one not making any noise. Just take the blankets back and be quiet about it."

Ryoga continued to protest. "We tried but we can't! He's using Sleep-Fu on us. We haven't managed to land a single hit and he keeps knocking us down!"

Kari stared really hard at her best friend in any world. "Let me get this straight Ryoga." She rubbed her eyes a moment. "You're telling me that he is wiping the floor with the three of you—in his sleep?"

The three boys looked at each other sheepishly. "No?" put forth Ryoga.

"Then quit making so much noise and go back to bed." Kari shook her head before collapsing back into the comfort of the pullout couch.

There was an awkward silence as the three boys refused to meet each other's gaze. Kuno coughed into his fist. "A true martial artist needs not the false comfort of a blanket."

Ryoga slowly nodded. "Such luxuries only make you weak!"

"Right," agreed Sei. "We're tough. We can rough it."

"Because the three of us wouldn't be beat by anyone who was still asleep," Ryoga said doubtfully.

There were general noises of agreement as the three boys lied back down and hugged themselves tightly to keep the chill off.

The next morning a cheerful and well-rested Daisetsu awakened them all. "Rise and shine boys! Breakfast is served!"

There were general noises of complaint from the three boys.

"Jeez. They're even worse then me in the morning," opinioned Nabiki.

"Just lazy," said Gin snidely.

"Are you sure? They seem awfully grumpy. What do you suppose got into them?" Nabiki was eyeing them with mild curiosity.

Daisetsu shrugged. "I don't know. I slept soundly enough."


	5. Ninja in Girl's Clothing

Chapter Five 

Ninja in Girl's Clothing

-----

"You're such lazy bums," Princess said with a smile, taking a bite of her omelet.

"Shut up," Ryoga muttered half-heartedly.

Kuno simply ignored his girlfriend's barb, taking a bite of his own omelet instead. Chewing it thoughtfully, he swallowed and turned to Kari. "Ah, could you pass the salt?"

The young girl responded by chucking the salt at his head.

Unfortunately, that was a usual occurrence for Kuno, so he simply caught the item as it fell from his forehead. "Thank you."

She snorted, turning back to her own food.

Soon enough the breakfast was finished. Daisetsu gathered up the plates while his wife addressed the assembled group.

"Look," Nabiki began, "we may have agreed to take you in for the time being." She held up a finger. "But that doesn't mean for free."

"We can't get jobs," Kari responded.

Sei nodded. "We'd need to exist on paper in order to do that."

"I didn't mean that, actually," Nabiki countered. "Something more simple, done in every house."

"What is it?" Ryoga looked curious.

"Chores."

Blinking all around.

"You've got to be kidding," Princess muttered under her breath. She'd best find some sap to get some money off of, or else she'd be forced to do housework. The thought made her cringe.

Kodachi felt the same, but was much more vocal. "You can't honestly expect somebody of my stature to be degraded in such a way, can you?"

"You're guests," Nabiki replied, "but for all intents and purposes this is your home now. Now Daisetsu and I split up the chores, so I don't see any reason not to split them up amongst you as well."

"I'll be glad to help out," Ryoga said. The fanged boy gave a grin. "I don't want to take advantage of your hospitality, after all."

Kuno nodded solemnly. "Indeed, Nabiki Tendo. It would be most unchivalrous of me to refuse such a task."

Nabiki blinked at that. She thought he would refuse just as his sister had.

"Look," Daisetsu said, coming back from a quick cleaning of the dishes, "there's a simple solution for this. Anybody who doesn't want to work can leave. I said I'd give you a place to stay, but I did not say you could freeload off of me and my wife."

Kodachi and Gin wore matching scowls. Neither girl wanted anything to do with household chores.

"Well, I have no problems," Sei spoke. He looked thoughtful for a moment. "You might want to make up a schedule, though, so we all know what we're doing."

"I was planning on it," the middle Tendo daughter replied.

"Ah, but there are some other concerns," Kuno began. "We are still here with no supplies. Such conditions must be remedied, and even I find myself without the proper funds to do so."

"He's right," Princess said. "Even you can't expect us to go without toothbrushes, or a few sets of clothes." She was still wearing her silver dress; Nabiki had lent her some sleepwear, but Gin refused to wear Nabiki's day clothes. They were horrible, fashion-wise.

Nabiki frowned. She had figured on this, but it still didn't make her happy. "I can spare some money, I suppose." Clothing six people was within her budget, but it was NOT a welcome addition by any means. "Just as long as you're not buying anything like that dress."

Princess frowned.

-----

Seishin was a happy boy as he exited the store. He was now the proud owner of several outfits. Most of them were resembling his current one, simple loose pants, T-shirts, and button-up shirts. The important thing, however, was that he was also able to obtain a single shirt/sweater garment, a strange shirt that had many resemblances to a sweater. It was yellow and black, and he had several of the same shirts destroyed back in his Nerima. He couldn't believe his luck in finding another one here.

He only wished he knew the proper name for them.

As he exited, he almost ran into a familiar figure with a travelling pack. "Ryoga?" For a moment, he thought it was this world's version, but then he caught sight of Kari standing behind the boy.

"Hiya, Sei," the martial artist said in greeting.

"Good morning," the young girl greeted cheerfully.

Sei blinked as he looked over Kari. She had already changed into a new outfit, a blue long-sleeved shirt with a large v-neck and a pair of matching blue pants, tied all around the legs like Ryoga did his ankles. A thick shirt of black netting was worn under the blue shirt as well. Her appearance screamed "Ninja!"

"Ah, are you a ninja?" the boy asked, curiously. The way Kari had told her story, it sounded as if she were a simple martial artist.

The blue-haired girl nodded. "Yep. Didn't I mention it?"

The archer shrugged. "No, but it's not really important anyway."

"Are you done with your shopping?" Ryoga asked. He had, himself, managed to procure a few new outfits, along with a travelling pack. At the moment, it didn't have anything actually useful for travelling, simply being used to hold his own outfits, as well as his friend's. He hadn't managed to find any versions of what he usually wore, so he was forced to buy several more normal-looking outfits, still in yellow or black. He wished he had Kari's luck in finding what he usually wore.

Sei nodded in assent. "Yeah. I have everything I need."

"Let's head back, then," Kari suggested.

The trio made their way back toward Daisetsu's apartment. While passing a cluster of higher-end shops, they caught sight of Gin and the Kuno siblings. Kuno seemed to be carrying the baggage for the three of them, the boxes in his arms stacking up to above his head. He was craning his neck to the side to see where he was going.

Against his better judgement, Sei waved an arm in the air. "Gin! Kuno!" He was able to get their attention and the three made their way over.

Princess spoke first. "I see you three are done, as well." She had been shocked by how little they received to shop with, but she had been able to manage, especially since she took most of her boy toy's money as well. She had left enough for Kuno to get a few extra kendoist outfits, simply so he wouldn't smell up the apartment. But the money she had taken was well spent. Five different outfits, all in shimmering silver, were hers. Blouses and pants, mainly, as those had been less expensive, though one more seductive outfit was included as well. They were the lower end of high fashion, but at least they were still high fashion.

"Yeah," the ninja girl responded. She didn't feel like dealing with the Kunos-plus-one, but she forced herself to smile. "We were heading back. You coming?" She hoped they'd say no.

"I see no reason to tarry," Kodachi said in reply.

Kuno nodded. "Simply lead the way." He prayed they make it quickly; the Kuno arms were made for holding women, not boxes of clothing. They felt ready to fall off.

And so the group of six was back at Daisetsu's apartment. Both Nabiki and Daisetsu were absent from the living/dining room when they arrived.

Kuno dropped the boxes on the floor and fell back onto the couch. He didn't voice his opinion, but he felt that shopping was, perhaps, a task that should never be partaken in when with women.

That's when the two owners of the apartment came into the room, entering from the bedroom. "I see you've finished," Nabiki said, taking a look at all the boxes on the floor.

Daisetsu looked over the room. When he caught sight of Kari, he immediately stepped forward and to the right, getting between his wife and the young girl. "What the hell?!" His scowl was easily visible.

Kari had the decency to look confused. "Huh? What is it?"

"You're a ninja!" Daisetsu replied in the tone that said it was a horrible revelation.

The girl narrowed her eyes. "Yeah. So?"

"There's no way I'm letting a ninja stay under my roof!" Daisetsu's voice was firm, booking no arguments.

Kari's eyes widened. "Huh?" What had she done to deserve that?

Ryoga spoke up in defense of his best friend. "Hey, now! You can't treat her like that!" He clenched his fist as anger coursed through his body.

Nabiki laid a hand on her husband's shoulder. "Come on now, Daisetsu." Her tone was a bit colder than usual, letting her husband know she was meaning every word she said. "We agreed to take her in, we can't throw her out without a good reason." It was true they had bad experiences with ninjas in the past, but that was no reason to hold anything against the young girl who had, as far as Nabiki remembered, been nothing but friendly.

Daisetsu, however, could simply not see where his wife was coming from. Didn't she remember everything they had been through with the Yakuza's ninja henchmen? Being a ninja was a choice, just as being part of the Yakuza would be a choice. As far as he was concerned, that girl chose her own path and should be treated the same as he would treat any ninja.

However, he didn't voice his opinion. He couldn't argue with his wife, especially when she was like this. Instead he scowled and marched out of the apartment. He needed to blow off some steam and felt a nice run might do the trick.

The entire group stared as Daisetsu left, slamming the door behind him. They were all shocked into silence.

Ryoga finally spoke. "That could have gone better."

Kuno cleared his throat. "Yes, well..." He looked over to the small girl, who had her fist clenched, obviously angry with Daisetsu. He stood, walking over to her. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he gave what he felt was a roguish grin. "It is not so bad. What he considers a bane is in fact a gift." His grin got wider as Kari looked up at him. "The heavens are truly kind to me, to send me in my time of great need a replacement for my errant servant. Truly you are a gift from the heavens to replace the noble Sasuke."

Kari growled. She had almost begun to respect Kuno when he came to cheer her up. But after that, she simply grabbed the hand on his shoulder, twisting it so Kuno was forced to his knees. In that position, they were eye-to-eye. The ninja girl punched him in the face, sending the kendoist reeling back, falling onto the floor with a loud thud. He was obviously unconscious from the blow. Then the ninja walked over, kicking him in the ribs while he was on the ground.

Ryoga shook his head just as Nabiki said, "Now that he had coming."

"I'm going out," the ninja said. Without another word, her form seemed to blur and she appeared in front of the door. She left, just as Daisetsu had, though she didn't slam the door shut behind her.

Princess sighed, walking over to her battered boyfriend. "I guess it's my job to tend to him, then."

Kodachi laughed. "Oh no, girly, your cretinous hands will not lay another finger upon my brother to dig your claws further into him. I will use my gentle touch to nurse my poor brother once again to health."

Gin scowled. "First, since when do I have claws? And second, since when is your touch gentle?"

"Close your mouth, peasant, or the flies will make more of a nest in it than they already have."

The silver-haired girl shook her head. "That's a rather elaborate way to tell somebody to shut up."

Sei sighed. Things certainly didn't seem to be going well.

Nabiki just hoped that nothing ever got physical. At least not in the apartment. She did not want her home to become another Tendo Dojo.

-----

After a good half-hour, Daisetsu found himself prowling the grounds of his university. It was a Sunday, thus no classes, and the campus was empty except for him.

He sighed. He really wasn't hitting it off very well with Kari, was he? The run had cleared his mind really well, and he felt a little guilty.

Still, she _was_ a ninja.

What he really needed was to talk about it. But he didn't want to talk to Nabiki, not right after running out of their home like that. Then his eyes lit up. His friend, Bokkai, should be around in one of the labs. Even on weekends, the boy had access to the science equipment. Daisetsu's old high school buddy was often a worker on the university's scientific projects and was trusted enough for that kind of access.

That thought in his mind, the ronin went off to one of the school's laboratories. Sure enough, Bokkai was there, working on one of his mechanical projects.

Waiting for a pause in his work, Daisetsu took a seat in a chair along the wall. He didn't have to wait long, as Bokkai wiped off his hands with a rag and turned around, catching sight of his friend.

"Ah, Daisetsu," the boy greeted. "How long have you been there?"

"Not long," the college student replied. "You busy?"

"Not particularly," Bokkai replied. "Why? Do you need some more stuff from me?" The teen had often made odd inventions whenever Daisetsu needed them. When he needed a disguise and some contraptions for demon hunting, Bokkai had been able to make them and get them to Daisetsu. It was almost expected now.

"No, not this time." Daisetsu sighed, trying to think of a good way to broach the subject. "It's just, I have a few houseguests now." What an understatement, he thought to himself. "And there's one in particular I don't think I'll be able to get along with." He thought of the young girl. A ninja, of all things why a ninja?

"Well, if he's staying a long time you'd better learn to get along." The engineering major nodded. "Living with somebody you can't stand cannot be that fun, eh?"

Bokkai and Daisetsu continued their conversation for almost an hour. The topic quickly changed from Daisetsu's unwanted housemates to safer topics- school, working, and life in general.

"Well, I'll see you later," Daisetsu said as he rose from his seat. "I'd better get back home, though."

Before he got very far, though, Bokkai spoke up. "Oh, yeah, Dai!"

Daisetsu turned around to look at his friend. "Yeah?"

The technical genius was scribbling something on a piece of paper. A few seconds later, he thrust it into Daisetsu's hand.

He looked down at the paper in his hand. An address and time was written on it. "Eh? What's this?"

"The latest project I've been working on," the boy explained. "I can bring some guests, so I figured I'd bring you along."

"Thanks," Daisetsu said, shoving the paper in his pocket. "After all of this, I'm gonna need a break."

"No problem."

After that, Daisetsu made his way out of the building. As he was leaving campus, however, the familiar tingle of Jusenkyo washed over him. The school's sprinklers had turned on. "Oh, great," the girl muttered to herself. "Just my luck."

Suddenly a voice spoke, confused. "Daichan?"

Wondering who could be addressing her, Daisetsu turned around. It was Kari, the ninja who had sparked her trip in the first place. Had she seen Daisetsu's change?

"What are you doing here?" Kari asked, walking up to the older girl.

Daisetsu let out the breath she had been holding. Apparently not. "I was just out for a walk," she replied.

"Me too," Kari said softly.

Daisetsu felt like shouting at the girl, but forced a smile onto her lips. She didn't want to give anything away. "So, what's up?"

"A direction," was Kari's automatic reply. It brought a chuckle to her friend, so she smiled. "Oh, well. I was heading back to Daisetsu's apartment. Where are you heading?"

Daisetsu frowned. "Ah, I'm heading home myself. But it's in the other direction."

"Oh," was the ninja's response. "I guess I'll see you around?"

"Yeah." The boy-turned-girl nodded. "You will."

"Bye, then," Kari said, turning away.

"Yeah, bye." Daisetsu bounded to the top of the roof and was off toward her apartment. She wanted to get back and into her guy form before Kari arrived.

She arrived at her apartment in a short amount of time. Rather than walking in as a girl, she simply eased open the bathroom window and slipped in that way.

The brown-haired girl quickly turned on the water. Time to become a guy again.

-----

"If I had known this was going to happen, I never would have come back." To say Kari was in a bad mood was an understatement. She had been hoping for a nice home-cooked dinner, but what does she get? A nice home-cooked dinner made by Kodachi.

"It doesn't look bad," Princess said, poking it with a fork. Of course, she also knew that meant absolutely nothing with Kodachi.

Nabiki frowned. She wished she hadn't put Kodachi's name in the hat. She had decided chores by random drawings from a hat, and just her luck that Kodachi had been drawn first for cooking.

Kuno simply frowned at his food, as if that would drive away whatever toxins were within it.

Sei was going one step further than anybody else was. He had drawn his bow, notched an arrow, and was taking aim at his plate.

Kodachi was happily eating her meal.

Daisetsu looked over to his wife. "Say, honey, it's been a long time since we've eaten out, isn't it?" He wasn't going to eat this food, plain and simple.

Kari shot the man a glare. "If you're going, you'd better have enough money for all of us."

Nabiki's frown deepened. They didn't have enough money to spare for that.

Ryoga threw his hands up into the air. "What's wrong with all of you? It's just food!" Before Kari could shout a warning, Ryoga took a big bite of the meat.

Everybody leaned toward the boy, intent on seeing if the food really was poisoned with toxin, or paralysis powder, or whatever else Kodachi might have put in.

"See?" the fanged boy said after swallowing the food. "Perfectly..." He trailed off as he slumped over to the side, falling out of the chair unconscious.

Daisetsu coughed into his hand. "Now, as I was saying. Eating out seems like a perfectly good idea."

His wife nodded. "I think we can splurge this once."

Kuno nodded. "That would be the wisest course of action."

Within moments, the room was vacant, with the exception of Kodachi and the boy lying on the floor.

"How quaint," the Kuno sister said, pushing the food around on her plate. Oh, well. She was hungry, and this just meant more for her.

-----

Kari sat up in the pullout, looking toward the back of the room. She was dressed in the pajamas she'd bought that day, pink with little black piglets, and had her hair loose. What she was looking at amused her to no end.

Ryoga, Sei, and Kuno were all crammed together against a wall, on the other side of the room as Daisetsu. All three were glaring at the teen on the other side of the room who was simply snoring innocently.

"Gee, you three look like you're ready for a battle," Kari said with a giggle.

"We are," Kuno replied simply. "Should that fiend roll anywhere near us, we shall be prepared this time."

"He ain't getting my blankets," Sei said, notching an arrow to his bow.

Ryoga had his belt in his hands. "This night, Sleep-Fu will fall."

Kari shrugged. "Whatever you say. I still think you're pulling this stuff out of nowhere." She lied down, closing her eyes. "Just try not to wake the entire house this time, all right?"

"We shall try not to disturb your beauty rest," the kendoist agreed. "After all, you're in dire need of it."

Ryoga idly wondered if Kari had the kunai the entire time. It was quivering on Kuno's bokuto, which the kendoist had brought in front of his face in time to block the projectile.

Several minutes passed with nothing more than several innocent snores on Daisetsu's part. He muttered something in his sleep, rolling to the side. Otherwise he was completely still.

"Mayhaps... the atrocity was but a single occurrence?" Kuno ventured.

Sei slowly slackened the bow's string before putting away the arrow. "It seems to be that way." He folded up the bow before putting it back into his pouch aside his blanket.

"Maybe we are overreacting," Ryoga agreed.

Having decided so, the three laid down to fall into peaceful slumber.

Or, rather, they would have if Ryoga hadn't shouted several minutes later. "Oh, damn it!"

Sei and Kuno turned their heads. Ryoga's blanket was firmly in the grasp of Daisetsu's arms. When had that happened?

And so the battle was joined.


	6. Change of Plans

Chapter Six

Change of Plans

-----

"Still lazy as ever, are we?" Princess said as she took a bite of her pop-tart.

Unfortunately, there was no reply to her statement, seeing as those it was aimed at were all too busy nursing the minor wounds they seemed to have developed during the night.

Daisetsu watched Kari wearily from where he sat eating his own breakfast of pop-tarts, he still held no real trust in the ninja, especially since she seemed to have kept the fact secret up until it became blatantly obvious.

Kari hummed to herself as she polished one of her kunai in a nice isolated corner of the room.

Everyone's attention was drawn when a certain woman with a certain pageboy haircut cleared her throat loudly as she stood up from her seat. Looking at the assembled mass in her home Nabiki, sighed before beginning. "Well, Tiger and I have school today. Since none of you have any money, nor access to our checkbooks, we'll also be going shopping after classes. I expect those that have chores today to have them completed by the time we get home." Nabiki eyed the group before pulling Dai along as she headed into the kitchen, and then out of the house with their belongings.

As they were about to exit the door Nabiki turned around and commented, "Oh and if any of you leave, there's a key hidden on the top of the door frame." After finishing her last statement, she let the door close behind her and her husband.

The assembled mass seemed to look at each other for a moment before giving off a massive group shrug.

-----

Gin Belmont smiled to herself as she quietly made her way into the bedroom of her hosts, the Tendos. Now that the others all had left for different odd reasons she could find out just what the Tendos were hiding, and no one would be the wiser.

Inside the bedroom, she made a slow, deliberate analysis of the room. From Eryn's thoughts she knew Nabiki was intelligent, almost overly so, and would probably make sure to hide any sensitive information very well.

Satisfied that the room wasn't booby trapped, Gin quickly made her way to the bed in the center of the room. Searching under, in, and beneath it, she found nothing. Well, nothing except the disgustingly sweet picture of some family, all huddled up together for the picture.

The bed having given no information, Princess proceeded to search through, behind, and under their dresser. Once again she found nothing except for a few stray yen and their assembled clothing, and oddly enough a diary with the word's "Black Ronin ideas" written on its front cover.

Chewing on her lip in agitation, Princess noticed the night stands on either side of the bed and was walking towards the closest when she was stopped cold by a cough from behind. Turning around slowly, Princess gulped, that is until she spotted who was at the door.

-----

Seishin Taihei had gone out searching for any more stores that sold his elusive shirt/sweater, he had found himself coming up empty and after the first four stores he decided to call it quits.

Returning to the apartment that had been so kindly provided by Nabiki Tendo and her husband, he had at first thought himself alone and, as such, made himself a nice glass of hot chocolate.

As he was taking his first sip of his drink though he had noticed a slight shuffling sound coming from the back of the house. Arching his brow, he calmly followed the sound to its origins, which happened to be the Tendos' bedroom. Looking through the cracked door he spotted the one person he should've guessed would be up to something, the girl who called herself Princess.

Letting the door drift open further, he leaned against the doorframe, letting out a small cough to alert the girl to his presence. A smirk crossed his face when she spun around and stared at him.

The girl's walk seemed to take on an odd gait as she made her way to where he stood, she actually came a little too close to him for his own personal comfort. A disturbing smile crossed her face as she asked, "So when did you get back, handsome?"

Now it was Sei's turn to gulp as the girl blatantly flirted with him. She was attractive to say the least, but knowing her pretty much took away any kind of attraction any sane person could have for her. In other words, she was a very obvious fox in sheep's clothing.

Not getting an answer from the perturbed boy, Princess let her finger trail down his sweater/shirt as she let another question slip seductively from her lips. "What's wrong, good looking, does the proverbial cat have your tongue?" She smiled almost evilly when she noticed the slight blush creep along his cheeks.

Sei tried desperately to answer, but he was getting more nervous by the second. He didn't like being thrust into this kind of situation and he really didn't want to piss someone like Princess off. After all, she could always sic Kuno on him and that was someone he didn't want to have to deal with. Finally, his nervousness getting the better of his motor controls, his already shaking hand let his glass of hot chocolate slip.

Princess stared in blatant horror as the heated liquid slipped from the boy's hand and covered her dress, and more importantly her.

Eryn Belmont found his consciousness quickly reaching the surface as his body reformed itself to its true uncursed glory. Looking at the man he found himself a little to close to he took a step back putting some distance between himself and said man.

After a few moments of awkwardness had passed Eryn watched as the boy, Seishin, pulled a bottle of chocolate milk out of seemingly nowhere and chugged its contents down in less than ten seconds.

As he finished and wiped his lips of the excess milk, Sei asked simply, "Jusenkyo?"

Eryn simply nodded in response.

Sei looked at the boy for a minute before asking, "So what's your curse? Is it like the curse of the drowned girl? Or the Drowned Ashura? Or what, the uber-witch?"

Eryn shook his head, sighing he replied, "No, I fell into the, apparently, three day old pool of the drowned Princess. According to the guide, it's the only personality and body changing pool at Jusenkyo. Cold water gives you Princess, hot water equals me. My name's Eryn, by the way." Looking around the room, he asked a simple question. "Oh, and by any chance, do you know where I can get my hands on a gun?"

The archer reluctantly replied, "Ummmm, why exactly do you need a gun, Eryn?"

Eryn shrugged before answering. "Well, to shoot myself, of course."

Sei, more than a little shocked at the request, replied speedily, "Why in the world would you want to do something like that?!"

The silver-haired man let out another sigh before replying. "I had, in the reality I came from, the unfortunate blessing of immortality, which apparently bled over to princess as well, making it impossible for me to kill myself in either form. I want to see if it works here. I mean, I doubt it will, I do happen to have the world's worst luck in this sort of thing."

Sei nodded absently before replying, "Umm, okay, I'm going to go take a walk to think about what you just revealed to me, and to get some chocolate, I'm definitely in need of chocolate. We'll talk about this when I get back..." He quickly turned around and made his way towards the door.

-----

Kari and Ryoga sat at their table, waiting for their order. They had entered the Golden Ice Cream Kingdom with the intent of spending the rest of their shopping money on some well-deserved desserts. But after placing their order with the short ponytailed girl behind the counter, they had been sitting for ten minutes, waiting for the waiter to bring them their food.

He, however, seemed to have other ideas. He was over at another table, chatting with two girls as they ate their ice cream. He ran a hand through his short brown hair, obviously trying to woo the girls.

"Sheesh," Kari intoned, "how long is this guy going to take?"

Ryoga stood, his chair sliding backwards as he did so. "Just wait a moment," he instructed. Before his friend could respond, the fanged boy had walked over to the suave waiter.

The brown-haired boy patiently ignored Ryoga's cough as he related the story of one of his exploits. He even ignored the tap on his shoulder. He could not, however, ignore it when Ryoga grabbed him by the collar and pulled him closer. "Eh?" the boy asked, as if noticing Ryoga for the first time. "Is there something you want?"

"Our food," the bandanna-clad boy replied, waving his hand toward his table.

"In a moment," was the waiter's reply. When Ryoga let go, the boy straightened his collar. Giving a confident grin, the boy turned to the two girls, both of whom gave girlish giggles. He leaned over each of them, giving them a kiss each.

"What a player," Kari muttered as Ryoga sat down. "Can't stand guys like that."

Ryoga shrugged. "Well, all he'll be doing here is giving us food, so it's not like you have to put up with him."

The young girl sighed. "I suppose you're right." It's not like he was doing anything to her, and if the girls accepted it then she didn't have any reason to be mad at the guy. It's not like he'd be as bad as Itachi, or even Mikado Sanzenin.

Their waiter made his appearance, carrying a small bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream and an ice cream sundae. He sat the bowl of ice cream in front of Ryoga, then placed the sundae in front of the young girl.

"Wrong," Kari said, simply, switching the places of the two frozen treats.

"Well, excuse me," the waiter said snidely. "It's an acceptable mistake, to think the little boy wanted the sundae."

"I can't stand them," the young ninja replied. "And I'm a girl, not a boy." She rolled her eyes, obviously used to that particular mistake.

As the two friends began to eat their ice cream, the waiter looked over Kari. To himself, he muttered, "Well, I guess I can see it." An internal war went on inside the man, each fight shown clearly on his face. "And... I suppose I do need another girl. I'm only on 1322, after all. It'll take quite a bit to get to two thousand."

"Eh?" Kari looked at the man, wondering why the waiter was still standing there. That's also when she noticed him staring at her. "Is there something on my face?" She grabbed a napkin and began wiping her chin.

The waiter gave a suave grin. "Oh no, my dear, nothing like that." He leaned in closer. "But, tell me, are your lips still chaste?"

Ryoga was about to get out of his seat and start pounding this guy.

The blue-haired girl scooted backwards in her seat. That's when it all clicked. The guy's attitude, his face, it all matched. He was Mikado Sanzenin, just older than she remembered. It was because of that she didn't recognize him immediately, but when she thought of it, even the girl behind the counter resembled Azusa.

"There is no reason to fear," Mikado suavely said, "for I am nothing if not gentle."

"Back off," Kari said eloquently, getting out of her seat. She stood not even to the bottom of Mikado's chest, but she nonetheless tried to appear imposing. She'd give him one chance to stop his antics.

But Mikado, ignoring the warning signs, simply placed a hand to one of Kari's cheeks. "Ignore not your feelings." He leaned closer, and found himself lying on his back.

Kari stood up from her quick sweep. "Lay off."

The male half of the Golden Pair stood, brushing off his clothes as he did so. "You have spunk. That's respectable. But it won't deter me."

"Maybe a beating will, then." The ninja made good to her word, slamming an elbow into Mikado's gut. As he leaned forward from the blow, Kari leapt back and spun into a crescent kick that caught the side of the skater-turned-waiter's head, sending him sprawling.

"Mikado!" was a cry that came from over the counter.

Patiently ignoring Azusa, the young ninja waited for Mikado to stand. Once he was standing, she let off a few more blows. Her form blurred as she went faster, closer to her top speed. After a dozen hits, she finished the boy off with a powerful spinning kick that sent him flying into the back, over the counter.

A water pipe in the back broke as Mikado hit it, spraying almost the entire store with water. Kari, feeling much better, became soaking wet. The two other girls had left earlier, so that meant the only other people to get wet were the Golden Pair and Ryoga.

When Ryoga got wet, however, his form shifted. His Jusenkyo curse was activated. However, instead of turning into a small black piglet, as this world's Ryoga did, his form shifted into that of a medium-sized black dog with shaggy fur and his trademark bandanna around the neck.

"Mikado!" Azusa cried, again, rushing to her partner's side. After seeing that he was as all right as can be expected, she turned toward Kari to scold the girl when her eyes found an adorable black dog in her restaurant. "Frederick!"

"Frederick?" Kari asked, cocking her head to the side. She turned and saw her best friend, Ryoga, was now a dog. Azusa was there as well, her arms around Ryoga's neck like a vice. That Azusa must've been pretty fast...

"You're a good boy, Frederick," Azusa cooed. "Now come on, come home with mommy." She tried pulling the dog toward the back, but the animal held his ground.

"Sorry," Kari said, walking up and prying the girl's arms off her friend. "That's my dog, Snuffles." She almost laughed when the dog cringed from that name; she didn't know why Ryoga disliked it, she thought it was cute. "Snuffles doesn't like strangers, you see."

"That's my Frederick!" Azusa cried. The taller girl had an accusing finger pointed at Kari. "You're trying to steal him from me!" Her hand quivered as she pointed. "You let my Frederick go!" She kneeled down. "C'mere, Frederick. Leave the scary lady and come to momma."

"I can't steal what's mine," the ninja replied casually. "And he's not leaving with you." She scooped up Ryoga's clothes, then began to walk off, Ryoga tailing her.

"Wait!" the older girl cried, raising an arm toward Kari. "I challenge you to a fight! If I win, you'll give me my Frederick!"

The blue-haired girl growled, spinning around. The water was still spraying into the restaurant, and it began to come together at Kari's feet. The water began spinning wildly around Kari, like some sort of battle aura. "If you want to fight, then fine. I'll kick you around and then you'll leave us alone."

If the other girl caught sight of tricks Kari was pulling with the water, she didn't show it. Instead, she simply scoffed. "A fight here? What are you, some kind of uncivilized pig? If we fight, we do it on ice."

"Ah," the ninja replied, understanding. "In that case, no." The water began to fall back to floor as she calmed herself. "Come on Snuffles, we're leaving."

"Leave my Frederick!" Azusa cried.

At the door, Kari turned around. "I would if I could." She smiled. "But there isn't anyone or anything here that goes by that name." She left, Ryoga trailing behind her.

Azusa sobbed as the water flooded her restaurant.

Mikado gurgled, face down in the water.

-----

"I can't believe that guy," Ryoga said for, perhaps, the fifth time. He had changed back with a cup of ramen noodles Kari had bought on the way back to the apartment and, in fact, still had a few noodles stuck in his hair.

"He's the same one I beat up a few weeks back," the ninja said, kicking a small rock off the sidewalk and into the busy street. "Back in, you know, our world."

"Older but no wiser, eh?" the bandanna-clad boy asked with a grin.

Kari gave a small smile. "Something like that, yeah."

The two quickly found themselves in front of Daisetsu's apartment once more. As they entered, however, they noticed something amiss. A person in a silver dress was rummaging through Princess's pack. However, that person was not Gin Belmont.

"Why is there a guy in a dress?" Ryoga asked. The fanged boy appeared frightened of the possible answers.

Kari growled. She was not having a good day so far. That Mikado jerk, and then Azusa trying to get Ryoga. No, not a good day at all. So when she saw some cross-dresser trying to steal Gin's stuff, she did what any pissed-off fourteen year-old ninja would do. "Prepare to die, you perverted thief!"

Eryn looked up in time to see a foot connect with his face.

-----

Later that night, the entire group sat, their dinners untouched. Eryn had just gotten done explaining his story and the group were all looking at him in shock. The entire time, it had been the man's cursed form that they had spent time with, lived with for the last few days.

Kari also felt slightly abashed. She had truly beaten the living daylights out of the man, and it turns out he had a good reason for being in a dress while looking through Princess's stuff. At least he had recovered quickly enough.

Ryoga, too, felt bad. Not about beating up Eryn, because he hadn't done that, and also not because his friend had done that. No, he felt bad because he had prepared a nice dinner and nobody was eating it.

The two Kunos, of course, patiently ignored the existence of Jusenkyo curses. The elder Kuno simply sat, staring at Eryn like one might stare at an unwelcome bug that was about to meet a rolled-up newspaper. The younger sibling was simply latched onto Eryn's arm.

"It is not becoming of a Kuno to act as you do, dear sister," Kuno said simply.

Kodachi, in a childish manner, stuck her tongue out at her older brother.

"I hope this guy's a better housemate then Gin was," Nabiki said to herself. She tapped her chopsticks on the table idly. She also hoped that Eryn wouldn't be needing to go clothes shopping for himself. She hated spending more money than necessary.

"Ah," Eryn said, remembering something. "I just remembered." He looked over to Daisetsu. "You wouldn't happen to know where I could get a gun, do you?"

Daisetsu fidgeted. He actually owned a few firearms, though he didn't want to let that fact on. "Why do you want to know?" he asked the silver-haired man.

"So I can try to kill myself," Eryn replied simply, taking a swig of his beverage. Setting it down on the table and ignoring the stares, he continued. "I doubt it'll work. If my immortality wore off, I wouldn't have healed from the little girl's beating."

Kari whapped the young man over the head.

-----

"I'm back!" Keiko called as she entered the cave that was home to herself and her parents, as well as her sister.

"Welcome back, sister," Reiko said, greeting her twin. The two were obviously twins, looking almost exactly identical. If it weren't for their hairstyles they would, in fact, be unable to be told apart. Reiko had a braid framing the left side of her face as well as a ponytail. Keiko had a braid as well, hers on the right side of her face. She too had a ponytail. They appeared to be in their late teens, but were in fact far older.

"Anything important happen while I was gone," the chaotic one, Keiko, asked.

Reiko nodded. "Something has. Come, our parents wish to discuss this with us."

The two made their way deeper into the cave, where they could see their parents curled against the wall.

Ryo opened an eye as his children approached. "I see you're back, Keiko." He left the side of his wife and stretched out, a few extremely loud cracks being heard as his stiffened joints popped. "Ah, that feel better."

Rei looked over at her children. "Now that you're both here, I suppose we can begin."

"What is it?" Keiko asked, curious. Reiko was shushing her, but she didn't pay attention to that. "I just got back and you're sending me away?"

"Just listen to them," Reiko instructed.

Ryo cleared his throat. "Yes, erm, well, where to begin...?"

Rei took over for her husband. "You remember our Avatar, do you not?"

"Of course," Keiko said with a nod. How could she forget Daisetsu? That man was incorrigible. She looked over to her sister, but she didn't say anything, having heard all of this before.

Ryo smiled. "Well, our little game is back on, it seems. Some new people have been introduced and it seems as if this, more than any time before, will throw our Avatar into the game."

"Six new people, to be precise," his wife continued. "We'll be needing you two to test them."

"Test?" Keiko was liking where this conversation was going.

Ryo nodded. "Indeed. Very soon their lives will all be thrown into chaos, and we need to be sure they can handle it."

Rei waved her hand, an image of Sei, Eryn, and Kari appearing. "These three are the only ones who need to be tested. I'd recommend taking the archer and the girl one-on-one, but double-teaming the silver haired man. He's Clay's little project, and we don't quite know his capabilities."

Keiko always spoke what was on her mind. "What girl? I only see three guys."

Reiko coughed politely. "I believe the blue-haired one is a girl."

"Ooooh." Keiko paused, looking at the image. "I still don't see it."

Once Rei was done laughing, she continued. "Take my advice or leave it. In any case, I wish you two to be off as quickly as possible."

"Of course, mother," Reiko said with a bow.

Keiko grinned. "Got it." She gave a mock salute.

"Once you're done with this, feel free to stick around the group," Ryo said. "Play around with them a bit. Have some fun. You've earned it."

"You're recommending us to cause chaos?" Keiko asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm only recommending that you two each do what you do so well. And only to see how our Avatar reacts," Ryo replied. "Now hurry up, off with you!"

And so the two dragon hatchlings were off to "test" the poor souls.


	7. If the Fuku Fits

Chapter Seven

If the Fuku Fits...

-----

A lone figure went through his katas surrounded by mist in the parks grassy meadow. The morning air was still crisp, not yet warmed by a sun just beginning to rise up beyond the horizon. Morning workouts had become the only time the figure had to himself anymore. He'd never had what could be called a normal life, but having six strangers thrust into his life was out of the ordinary even for him. It wouldn't be so bad if all six hadn't come to live with his wife and him in their crowded one-bedroom apartment.

He had broached the idea of getting a bigger place with his wife. After the settlement with the Kuno's, combined with the money made from selling the Nekohaten and the partnership with Ucchan's, they had plenty of money. But Nabiki was frugal and didn't want to reveal their full resources to these strangers. She had argued that the situation was only temporary anyway and cramped conditions might encourage them all to find new accommodations at the first opportunity.

He had to concede that getting a bigger place might be seen as accepting that the situation was indeed permanent. Just as the matter was being settled, their guests had returned from shopping for new clothes, thus ending their time alone together. A chance at intimacy ruined by the guests even when they were absent from the apartment.

A spray of dew shot up from the ground as Daisetsu's legs swept over the grass. He was a master of armed combat and was improving in unarmed techniques. His tattoo and his Zen awareness gave him a couple of edges when fighting those who were more skilled then himself. So far he had managed to keep both a secret from his guests.

He'd kept a few things secret.

Like the fact that he turned into a girl when splashed with cold water.

His recent collection of firearms was yet another ace in the hole. He'd have to find a place to hide those guns before the next regular police visit.

Damn. How could he explain his guests to the police when they came by? He'd have to find a solution to that problem, and soon. He was expecting a visit in the next couple of months. Such visits were a routine part of living in Japan and weren't of any concern to those who had nothing to hide. Daisetsu's list of things to hide was growing by the day.

Unnoticed by the troubled young man, a new arrival entered the park to train. Flowing easily through the shadows the figure found a perch to observe the practicing martial artist. It was always well advised to know the capabilities of those around you, friend or foe—and Kari was still undecided about Daisetsu.

On one hand he had taken in a bunch of strangers; that showed he was basically a good person. He may have been reluctant, but he had kept his word when the chips were down. On the other hand, he seemed to have a pathological hatred of ninjas. He'd been ready to have her packed and out on the streets the moment he discovered what she was. Ironically, it had been his wife Nabiki that had brought him around so that Kari could stay. The mercenary Tendo was the last person she would expect to come to the rescue of a freeloader. It was all beyond her comprehension.

What she did understand was martial arts. The boy was practicing the Anything Goes style of Kenpo. It wasn't surprising since he was married to Nabiki. He had probably learned from Soun, or maybe Ranma. Compared to either he wasn't very good. He wasn't very fast either. Maybe he could match Ryoga, but not her and certainly not Ranma.

Still, practicing katas could only tell you so much. Did he have it when it mattered? There was only one way to find out, and that was to spar with him. With the quite grace of an ethereal shadow she moved from tree to tree until she was directly overtop of him.

From the folds of her clothing she drew two kunai. They were both razor sharp and deadly. At this range she could easily kill him before he even knew what hit him. That wasn't her intent. She was just going to throw them both for near misses, just to gauge his reaction and then continue the sparring match from there.

Even as the weapons left her fingertips he began to react. The young man went directly from a kata that practiced circular parries against multiple opponents to a move that was pure improvisation. He pirouetted in place, snatching both projectiles out of the air. Completing his spin he sent one flying back straight for Kari. The other he held onto, holding it before him defensively.

Had the young man been quicker he would have impaled Kari. Fortunately for her, she was much quicker. She leapt up to the next branch as the kunai hit the tree with a heavy thunk. It was buried to the hilt. Clearly he wasn't holding back. Kari reflected that perhaps a sneak attack had been an ill-advised way to start a sparring match.

"Show yourself ninja! It's useless to hide from me," growled the young man with a nearly feral look in his eyes. His body was now sheathed in a green battle aura. She'd never seen one quite like it before. Despite the dense foliage of the tree and the still twilight ambience of the morning he was looking right where she was. She was certain she hadn't made a mistake, so how had he anticipated her attack and how did he know where she was now? Questions for another time for now he was taking things way too seriously. Time to end it.

Kari leaped out of the tree and landed several feet away from Daisetsu. She assumed defensive posture but made no aggressive movements.

Daisetsu was incredulous. "You? Is this how you repay my hospitality? By trying to ambush me?"

"Look you idiot, I wasn't trying to hurt you. I just wanted to spar. I'm a ninja, I sneak up on people. It's what we do." Kari was busy cataloguing new information in her mind. So he could sense her attack, but had not known it was her doing the attacking. He hadn't really seemed to notice her at all until she attacked. At least he hadn't responded to her presence before that point. Best not to make assumptions until she knew more.

"That's right. A ninja. An Assassin." Daisetsu was snarling. "Ever notice that you can't say assassin without saying ass twice?"

Host or not, this guy was insulting. Besides, Kari wasn't done gauging his abilities. She lunged with her kunai and he countered with the one he still had. Clearly he was skilled with bladed weapons—perhaps even better then her. Yet his reach suggested that he was used to fighting with a weapon that had more reach. She remembered the Katana that had caught her attention. He was a sword fighter, probably a kendoist like Kuno. A few more feints confirmed her suspicions. In between strikes she continued the banter. "I am not an assassin. I don't go around killing people."

Daisetsu was aware of two things. First of all, the girl he was fighting was testing him, gauging his abilities. Second of all, she was holding back. She was quicker then him and hadn't taken several chances to land blows.

It didn't soften his heart to her any. The fact that this girl was playing with him only made him madder. He didn't lose his head though. He'd been in too many life and death situations of late to lose his head that easily.

A plan was already forming in his head. "If not an assassin, then a thug. A common violent thug who can't even pull off a cowardly ambush."

The young ninja was seeing red. She was not a coward! She was not a common thug. Kari lunged out with a series of blows faster then the eye could follow. Daisetsu wasn't there to receive them. "Talk about cowards! Stand still so I can pummel you!"

Knowing where Kari was going to focus her attacks was a tremendous boon to Daisetsu. By fighting purely defensively, he was able to keep out of her reach. Just barely. It created an odd stalemate that would end when one of them got tired.

Kari wasn't easily fooled. She noticed that he was fighting defensively now. No longer striking out at her. It was vaguely insulting. "Why don't you fight me? Fight back, damn it!"

He'd been waiting for this moment. With a grin that was part nasty leer, he replied, "I don't go around beating up on little boys. It's the duty of a true martial artist to protect the weak, not fight them. As a common violent thug, I wouldn't expect you to understand that."

There was a twitch in the vicinity of Kari's eye. How much of this abuse was she supposed to take? "What is with you? What did I ever do to you anyway? First you threaten to throw me out and then you stand there and insult me. Are you trying to get me to kill you?"

"I'm sure you wouldn't lose any sleep over it." In the back of his mind, Daisetsu knew that this warrior was also the lost and lonely girl without a place to stay. He also knew she was the one who had come to his rescue against Kuno.

It was the clothes he was having trouble seeing past. Ninjas were assassins. Killers. Life, death, and honor meant nothing to them.

With an unexpected movement he stepped closer to Kari so that he was staring her in the eyes, face to face. "Have you killed anyone? Ever been put to the ultimate test as a warrior? Ever seen the light fade out of the eyes of a stranger?"

The teenager was suddenly taken back by the cold shift in Daisetsu's disposition. He wasn't attacking her, but there was something dangerous about him. "No I haven't. I've never needed to."

Daisetsu's eyes narrowed. "I have. I used to wonder if I'd have what it takes if I found myself in that situation even as I prayed I would never have to find out. They say God answers all prayers... but sometimes the answer is no."

It was all there in his eyes for her to see. He had killed. She doubted that he had hesitated when the time came. The hardness in his eyes told her that. But she saw something that perhaps he hadn't meant for her to see. Regret. No wonder he was apparently a restless sleeper, though she still doubted the ridiculous stories about Sleep-Fu that Ryouga told her.

Just then, Daisetsu's watch beeped. He looked nervous and seemed to want to pretend that nothing had happened.

"Your watch just went off. That mean your workout is done?" Kari wasn't sure why he seemed suddenly anxious, but was going to take full advantage of the situation. Subject changes were good things.

"My watch? You're imagining things." His watched beeped again. It sounded less like an alarm and more like a phone ringing.

"Are you deaf? It just went off again." Kari didn't understand why he was pretending he couldn't hear it.

It rang a third time. Daisetsu sighed. "Excuse me, I have to get this." He turned around and walked several paces away and then hunched over his wrist. "What is it?" He whispered.

There was a frantic reply from the watch. It sounded like a young woman. "Daichan! We need you! We're in front of the public library and we're fighting a ninja demon made up of pure negative chi."

The young man swallowed hard and glanced over his shoulder at Kari. Then he spoke into his watch. "Alright, I'll pass that along, Ami. Sailor Nemesis will be there as soon as she can."

Ami was wondering if Daisetsu was finally losing it, but that conversation could come later. In the meantime they needed Daichan to help fight this demon. "Alright, but please hurry. Sailor Jupiter is already down."

Daisetsu nodded and then closed the watch communicator. That was when he noticed Kari trying to look over his shoulder. "Who was that? She looked kinda cute. Does Nabiki know about her? Why was she calling you to get a hold of Daichan? What is your connection to Daichan anyway?"

"I don't have time to answer your questions right now. I have to tell Daichan. If you know what's good for you, you'll stay out of this." He was gone with a leap into the trees.

Kari wondered why he seemed to be headed home and not the direction that Daichan had told her that she lived. It didn't matter. She knew where Daichan would be and maybe she could help her friend out somehow. She bounded off in the direction of the public library.

-----

Sailor Nemesis leaped from rooftop to rooftop. She really hated the heels that were part of her get up. It was still early morning so most people weren't up yet. Still, one paperboy had his early morning routine upset when he looked up in time to catch a panty shot. Decades later he would become a martial arts master with unrivaled skill and an unrivaled love for panties. But, for now, the bastard son of Happosai merely continued on with his paper route with only a slight nosebleed.

The Senshi of vengeance arrived at the library to find her friends battling against a single ninja made completely out of shadow. All the active Senshi were present. Only Hotaru was absent, though she was considered active. None of their attacks seemed to harm it, though it seemed that Sailor Moon had yet to land a hit against it. Hers was the only attacks it bothered to avoid, though it did so easily.

Daisetsu notched one of her starblaze arrows and drew back the bowstring. It was supposed to be highly effective against shadow demons and creatures. The arrow flew true and pierced the demon through the middle. Light burst forth from the darkness and the demon was gone. She let out a whoop of victory. Such feelings were short lived.

Out of the shadows came nine more demons. One for each Senshi present and one more than Daisetsu had starblaze arrows. She gritted her teeth. She may not have enough, but that wouldn't stop her from using the ones she had. One by one the demons evaporated in blinding pillars of light. They had all but abandoned the fight with the other Senshi in order to storm Daisetsu's position.

Kari had been observing the fight between the Senshi and the demon for several minutes before Daichan had arrived. The Senshi weren't winning but they hadn't been losing either so Kari had taken the opportunity to observe the fight. The girls packed a lot of magical firepower but lacked any real skill. They seemed to get by more on pure good luck and raw magical power then anything resembling strategy. She had vaguely wondered why nine of the shadow ninjas had remained hidden. If they had swarmed, they would surely of overpowered the Senshi.

Then Daichan had arrived wearing a fuku very similar to those of the Senshi. It seemed more suited to the night in shades of black and dark gray. She had used some kind of magical bow and arrow to take out the visible demon. That was when the others had made their presence known. They rushed new arrival unmindful of their own fate.

A casual observer might have called them fearless. Kari was no ordinary observer. Many people think creatures of darkness do not know fear. This is a fallacy. Fear is integral to the darkness. It's just that what commands them usually inspires more fear then any fate a mere mortal can bestow.

Sailor Nemesis had one arrow left, already notched, and two opponents rushing up at her. She let fly at one and watched in horror as the demon evaded her assault. Clearly it was smarter then the average shadow ninja.

She backed away from the edge of the roof and drew her katana to prepare to meet her enemies in battle. Her body was enveloped in a green aura as the ninjas cleared the roof. Shadow blade met cold magic steel as two hellish assassins assaulted the young woman.

The ensuing swordplay impressed Kari. Daichan really knew how to hold her own. Her strength seemed a match for the demons' own. Plus she was either faster or could read their moves somehow. The way she started to counter attacks even as they were launched reminded her of Daisetsu's own strange ability from earlier. That and the green aura that sheathed her determined form. Perhaps Daichan wouldn't need her help after all.

She was still determined to have a talk with her new friend, though. Sailor Nemesis? Wasn't that the kind of name that all too often belonged to Mary Sues? She had seemed nice and Kari didn't think she could be a Mary Sue. Unless Mary Sues had some strange ability to make everyone in their reality like them, but that seemed farfetched.

The young ninja nearly let out a cheer when Daichan's katana cut one of the demons in two. The creature quickly dissipated. Unfortunately the attack left Daichan exposed to her other opponent. It was quick to take advantage of the situation. A powerful blow from its sword hand disarmed Daichan. She barely had time to register the clanging of her sword on the street below when the other hand caught her head in a powerful blow. Even as she was reeling from that attack the demon's foot snapped out to catch her in the gut, doubling her over. A black knee shot up and connected with Daichan's chin, sending her flying to the other side of the roof.

The Senshi were clamoring up the side of the building via the fire escapes but would never make it on time. That dope, Tuxedo mask, was below her in the tree and was about ready to make his grand entrance and throw a rose at the offending shade. What did he think a rose would do? Kari leapt down, landed on his head, and then launched herself for the roof and her friend. A second leap took her over the head of the demon. She dropped a flash-bang behind her. She hoped it would hurt the demon, but it didn't need to in order to be successful. Just as the name suggests, there was a brilliant flash followed by a bang. The demon was blinded long enough for Kari to scoop up the fallen Senshi and leap away. She had to grunt a bit with the effort, as the older girl was heavier then she looked.

The demon was still blinded and disoriented when the other Senshi arrived. Sailor Moon quickly finished it off with a single attack.

The demons vanquished, the Senshi turned their collective attention to the new arrival and their prone comrade.

Rei's reaction surprised Kari. "Daichan!" She was at the fallen girls side in a shot. "Are you all right?"

Daichan's eyes fluttered open and she gave Rei a rakish grin. "I am waking up to your face."

Kari might have been jealous had she not already noticed the wedding band on Daichan's finger. It was a man's ring, so she supposed that she must be the butch in the relationship. But was Rei her mate? There were no wedding bands on the fingers of the Senshi of Mars. Kari shook her head. It was really none of her business.

Minako addressed the young ninja. "I haven't seen you before. Are you a friend of Dai—err, I mean Sailor Nemesis?"

"Yeah." Kari rocked back and forth on her feet while scratching the back of her head. She wondered for a moment how anyone managed to keep a secret identity in an anime world. It was a good thing she already knew who Sailor Nemesis was.

The friend in question was rising to her feet. She eyed Kari almost warily. "You saved my life Kari."

The teenager grinned widely. "It's my special super secret technique. I call it watching your back." All the gathered girls burst out laughing. After a moment Kari addressed Daichan. "I thought for sure that you were unconscious. How did you know it was me who rescued you?"

Daichan seemed uneasy for some reason. "I have a special super secret technique too. I call it my Zen circle. I can sense anyone who enters it. I can't tell who that person is exactly, but I can keep track of their location and figure out who they are when I see them. It's 'on' even when I'm asleep or otherwise out of commission."

Nodding, Kari admitted to herself that it was some technique. It probably explained how Daichan had been able to anticipate the demons attacks. Then her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You know Daisetsu, right?"

With some hesitation Daichan nodded.

"Does he know that technique as well?" Kari noticed that the other Senshi were exchanging looks at the mention of Daisetsu's name. Clearly they all knew who he was and seemed surprised at the way she was talking about him. She'd figure it out later.

"Yeah he does." Daichan almost seemed guilty, like she was making a confession.

Kari frowned. "Did you teach it to him or did he teach it to you?"

There was a look of relief on Daichan's face. "We... ah... learned it at the same time."

That satisfied Kari for the moment. It seemed that Daisetsu and Daichan had trained together. This was good. She would be able to learn Daisetsu's techniques and how to counter them from her friend. That could wait for another time though. She eyed Daichan for a moment. "So you're a Senshi?"

"If the fuku fits, wear it, eh Daichan?" Tuxedo Mask had joined the others on the roof.

Daichan's face was turning bright red. Kari couldn't understand why. She looked good in the outfit. She would have killed to have the older girls figure. She might not be well endowed in the chest department, but at least she was endowed. "Don't listen to him Daichan. It really shows off your legs. Anyway, if you're a Senshi, do you have a cool transformation sequence?"

The embarrassed Senshi coughed into her hand. "You might say that."

Kari could barely contain herself. "Can you show it to me?"

"I'd really rather not." It was cute the way she was so modest. She found a way to change the subject. "Where are my manners? Everyone this is Kari. She's staying with my cousin, Daisetsu."

Again the Senshi exchanged looks as though part of some big secret. Then they nodded and all introduced themselves in turn, telling both their Senshi names and civilian identities.

Daichan smiled at Kari when the introductions were all made. "I have a couple of things to discuss with my fellow Senshi. Why don't you wait for me at the café down the street and I'll walk you home?"

Kari quickly agreed and waited out her friend at the appointed place. Daichan arrived twenty minutes later. She was carrying a duffel bag and was now dressed in jeans and a black T-Shirt. The clothes were baggy and could easily have fit someone many sizes larger. Kari didn't understand why the girl was so determined to hide her figure. Then again, if she were a lesbian, she might just be sick of guys like Kuno hitting on her all the time. "Yo," she called to her friend.

"Yo ho!" embellished Daichan, trying to sound like a pirate.

"And a bottle of rum!" Kari burst out into a fit of giggles. She wanted to be the world's first ninja pirate.

The older girl ordered some tea and then joined Kari. "I hope I didn't keep you long."

"Not at all," replied Kari. No longer able to contain her curiosity she asked, "So are you married to that girl Rei or something?"

Daichan couldn't help but blink several times at Kari. She couldn't help but wonder if her attraction for Rei was that obvious. Her thumb nervously rubbed her wedding band. "No..."

"That the world is an unfair place is well known, but to have such an innocent fawn married to that swine is more then even I can bear!" Kuno burst into the little café and came to stand before the two girls. "Run away with me! Your vows were no more then words. It is not adultery that we commit, but faithfulness to the heart!"

It took some effort, but Kari was able to bury her urge to kick Kuno into lunar orbit long enough to ask a question. "Who's she married to?"

Kuno clenched a fist and started to reply before Daichan could object. "It is truly a travesty the like that shall not be borne! For it is that swine Ryoga Hibiki that is wed to my fair fawn!" Daichan kicked him out of the café before he could say anything more.

The ninja girl's eyes were wide. "You're married to Ryoga?" She couldn't believe the dufus could ever get over his shyness enough to date a girl much less get married.

Daichan planted an elbow on the table then leaned on her fist. She stirred her tea idly, staring into it as though looking for the words to say. She seemed to come to a decision. "We're not really married. He agreed to pretend we were around Kuno to get the pervert off my back. As you can see, the plan has worked brilliantly."

Kari patted her friend's available hand even as her mind raced. Clearly the girl had feelings for Rei. It seemed surprising, but Rei seemed to return those feelings. Kari had never taken her as the type. Still, there was no reason the two shouldn't be together. And she would do everything in her power to see it come to pass or her name wasn't Kari Umikage!


	8. Testing, One Two Three

Chapter Eight 

Testing, One Two Three

-----

It was a not-quite-normal morning to the residents of the Tendo apartment. The previous night saw a change in the sleeping arrangements, Eryn getting the floor while Kodachi joined Kari and Daisetsu joined his wife in their bed. It pleased Ryoga, Kuno, and Sei, who no longer had to worry about the dreaded Sleep-Fu.

So the three were well-rested and sporting no new injuries, a change from the usual routine.

"That was good," Ryoga said as Daisetsu collected the morning's plates.

Kuno agreed heartily. "Indeed. Your culinary prowess is quite formidable, Daisetsu."

"So," Sei said, clapping his hands in front of him, "what are we all doing today?"

"School," Nabiki replied. "Speaking of which, you'd better hurry with those dishes, Tiger."

Daisetsu grumbled. How did he get stuck with cooking and dishes on the same day? It just wasn't fair.

Kari stood, her chair scraping against the ground as it slid backwards. "Well, I'm off for a little shopping." She showed off a few yen notes. "I have a little money left, so I'm going to see what I can get for this." It was barely over 400 yen, but she could find a little something to make life easier.

"I'm going out to get an umbrella," was Ryoga's answer. Daisetsu had given him the address of a shop where his world's Ryoga got umbrellas, a different one than the boy used in his and Kari's dimension.

"Oh." Kari's face fell. If she had to take Ryoga to wherever this place was, then she wouldn't be able to go shopping herself, at least not until much later. "Well, where is this place?"

"Do not worry yourself," the elder of the Kuno siblings spoke. "You need not be distracted from your own quest. As little is required of the mighty Blue Thunder today, I shall accompany this man on his journey."

The young ninja blinked a few times. "Ah, thanks."

"'Tis not a problem."

Sei smiled. "Well, I guess we're all off, then." He wanted to check the area, to scout for good fighting spots. Maybe he'd spot another shirt/sweater while doing it, too.

As the people left the room, only two were left inside. Eryn looked down at Kodachi, who was latched onto his arm like a barnacle to a ship.

"Oh, my darling," the gymnast purred, "we're all alone today, aren't we?"

Eryn quickly made plans for himself for the day.

-----

The blue-haired ninja walked home, an extra skip in her step.

She didn't have much money to spend, but she found the perfect thing for just the right price. She clutched her new stuffed penguin to her chest and squealed in a girlish manner. But she didn't care if it was girly. She had a penguin! She was going to name it Pen Pen, and she could keep it on the stand next to the pullout. It would be absolutely perfect!

Well, aside from that person trailing her along the rooftops. The street was an empty one, nothing nearby except for a few water fountains and soda machines.

Glancing into the window of a building to her right, she caught a navy-colored blur in the reflection, atop the building to Kari's left. She walked over to the building and placed her stuffed animal on the ground. "Stay here, Pen Pen," she instructed. Turning around, she walked a few steps out into the middle of the road.

Her pursuer obligingly dropped onto the ground in front of the ninja.

The young girl got a look at her adversary. She was taller girl, appearing in her late teens, probably old enough to attend college. She was also wearing a navy blue school uniform, the skirt going to mid-thigh and showing off her legs. Her hair was brown and tied back into a ponytail, as well as a braid framing the right side of her face. The girl's most outstanding feature, at least to Kari, was her smile. It was half-smile and half-smirk, full of confidence and playfulness.

Kari narrowed her eyes. "Why have you been tailing me for so long?"

The girl's smirk grew. "Eh, I'd rather not say why, if it's all the same to you."

"I'm afraid I insist." The ninja slipped two kunai into her right hand. She was prepared to throw them at a moment's notice.

"It's rude to fight without even knowing each other's names." Keiko patiently ignored the fact that she usually did that. The truth was, this little girl intrigued her. The first part of the test had been how the girl would handle a surprise attack, but instead she noticed that she was being followed. That was impressive.

The blue-haired girl could tell a fight was about to start, so she quickly catalogued the best routes of escape even as she spoke. "Making small talk, huh? I guess I can play along." She looked her opponent in the yes. "My name's Kari Umikage, last heir to the Umikage style of Ninjitsu."

"Keiko," her opponent replied. "So, you're a ninja, eh?" From behind her back, Keiko pulled two tantos. "You don't mind if I bring in some weapons then?" Not that she'd stop even if Kari did mind. Before the girl could respond, Keiko threw herself forward at, to her, a frighteningly slow speed. She was just testing the ninja, after all. She was pleased when the blue-haired girl nimbly dodged to the side, letting loose one of the kunai. Keiko easily batted the kunai to the side with one of her tantos, but was quickly shocked when she saw another one coming. "She placed the kunai in the shadow of the other?" she thought, quickly bringing her other tanto around to block.

"Damn," the ninja muttered, seeing her quick plan had been foiled. She quickly drew forth two more kunai, holding them like daggers, and decided to see just how good her opponent really was. Just as Keiko had done, Kari leapt at the girl at much lower than her greatest speed, intent on testing the water, so to speak.

A flurry of blows followed, tanto meeting kunai as intricate arcs were blocked with a great display of skill on both parts.

Keiko was grinning. "You're holding back."

"So are you," Kari responded.

Both girls quickly threw themselves at each other again, this time moving faster. Kari was moving fast enough to register as only a blur to most people, and Keiko was matching her speed.

"Damn," the ninja muttered, falling back to rethink her strategy. "She really is fast." She watched Keiko, who was content to wait for Kari to make the next move, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "She's pretty fast, I don't think I can win if I hold back at all." For some reason, that thought excited Kari. She couldn't recall the last time she had gone all-out against somebody. Her Ranma and Ryoga were good enough to push her that far, of course, but they never did anything but spar.

Keiko was pleased with the girl's progress in her test. She seemed to be doing better than she would have thought, especially considering her age.

"Time to get serious," Kari remarked. She slid her feet apart, taking a fighting stance akin to one of Ryoga's. It made it look like she was prepared to stand her ground, but her figure almost vanished, so clearly that wasn't her intention.

Within the space of a second, Keiko had blocked one dozen blows. "Only a dozen?" she asked with a smirk, as Kari landed a few feet away.

"Yeah, a baker's dozen," the ninja responded. She smirked as the ribbon on Keiko's school uniform fell, a sudden gust of wind blowing it down the street.

The young dragon, instead of feeling annoyed, felt a tingle go up her spine. She wasn't used to people landing blows, regardless of whether or not she was holding back. The ninja was definitely good enough for whatever it is she was facing.

But she didn't want the fight to end yet.

"Come on." Keiko grinned. "I'm not done yet." She rushed at Kari, going at her best speed. Well, at least her best without a boost from magic.

Kari was hard-pressed to block the attacks coming from the two tantos. She was surprised to find that she was actually a little bit slower than her opponent, though not by a significant margin. Still, though, the only person she'd ever seen faster than her was her own father. She concentrated on something as she parried the other girl's strikes, waiting for the right moment.

"Got you!" Keiko cried as her tanto struck its intended target. She made sure it was a mostly harmless blow, but was surprised when she found her blade stuck in a... log? Where had that come from?

A swift kick caught the girl in the back of her head, sending her stumbling forward. However, when she turned around to look at Kari there wasn't even a bump. "You're pretty good, but your hits are weak." It was the truth, but she was also impressed that Kari had gotten in two hits.

The ninja scowled. Her body substitution was best for surprise, so it wouldn't be as effective in the future. Oh, well, she still had a few aces up her sleeve.

The two girls leapt at each other once more, exchanging blows too fast for most people, or even most martial artists, to follow. Keiko got in two good slices, each on a shoulder. Twin lines of crimson appeared, but the ninja girl ignored them. She leapt back, throwing the two kunai she was using toward her opponent, who wasn't there to get hit by them. However, each kunai embedded themselves into a water fountain, sending spurts of water into the air.

Keiko sliced at Kari, who jumped backwards again to avoid the blows. The dragon girl wasn't done, and tried slicing two more times, but then ninja agilely leapt over the blows and landed behind her opponent. As Keiko spun around, she stopped.

Since when was she fighting four of Kari?

"Now you face my ultimate technique," one of the ninjas said. She flipped a loose strand of blue hair behind her ear. "The Mizu Bushin no Jutsu, my Water Clone Technique."

"Water is the basis of my family style," another Kari continued, slipping a kunai into her hand.

Motioning a hand toward the spurting water from the broken drinking fountain, another one of the girls smiled. "So fighting near water always gives me an edge."

"You ready for round two?" the last one asked.

Keiko nodded, grinning like a madwoman. "Always."

The four ninjas leapt at Keiko, who dodged all four with a great deal of skill and speed. The hatchling was actually putting all her concentration on the fight, and it showed as not a single blow was landed against her.

"How is she doing so well?" Kari thought, sweat on her brow from the concentration required to maintain all three clones. "We were mostly even when it was one on one, now it should be clearly in my favor." She spotted a grin as Keiko dodged again. "Was she holding back that much?"

"It ends," Keiko muttered. Two swift kicks caught two of the clones, turning them into large puddles of water. A stab into the last clone's stomach dispelled that one as well, leaving only the real Kari with the young dragon.

The blue-haired girl was almost speechless. "How?"

Keiko smirked. "I'm not so unskilled as to not be able to tell a clone from the real thing." She leapt forward, but instead of slicing she simply lashed out with kicks, knocking around the real Kari, who had exhausted most of her energy.

As Kari roughly hit the wall of the building by which she had set her stuffed penguin, Keiko ended the fight. "I'm afraid I have to be off, now. My sister is waiting for me." She winked at the fallen girl, then took off to the tops of the buildings.

Kari moaned, looking over at Pen Pen. "Who... was that?" She groaned again as she got to her feet, then walked over and picked up her stuffed penguin.

-----

The last few days, while I hardly think they could be considered "good" under any circumstances, did give me a nice opportunity to relax the control I had been holding since ending up in that first Ranmaverse. I mean, when you're surrounded by a large number of moderately competent fighters, who really needs to beat the tar out of everything that moves?

I had decided to take a nice walk today. I mean, it was quite clear that the sun was shining happily, and how often is a lethal battle of life and death occurring when it's this nice outside? It even looked safe enough that I could wear my shirt/sweater! Of course, despite my recent sense of relaxation, I wasn't silly enough to leave my bow behind; it was really about the only thing vaguely resembling a trump card that I had available to me at the time. It was strapped in a bundle across my shoulder, looking all the part of the "Mysterious Weapon-looking Object That No One Gets To See Until It's Too Late!"

Of course, I wasn't simply taking a walk for my health; I had a couple reasons for heading out this day.

One: To figure out where the assorted oversized deserted parks in the middle of town are... Chances are average to good that there will be at least 3 or 4 fights in the next little while that both take place on foot and will cause unnecessary property damage.

Two: To get a lay of the land and figure out where the more strategic fighting spots were.

And three: To see if Louis shows his face, damn his hide!

I was just investigating the second of those oddly placed mid-city wilderness zones when a chill came across my body, sending a tangible shiver through my body. Now I don't chill easily, but when I do it usually means it's either pretty cold, which it isn't, or that I've just made a series of mistakes that are about to blow up in my face, also unlikely as I haven't had much chance to make any mistakes lately, or someone's been in my blind spot for longer then 10 seconds.

Sure, I may not have any nice ninja skills, but I most certainly know when someone is nearby, but out of my vision for a period of time longer than any average passerby would stay. It doesn't help that I tend to hit mental roadblocks a lot quicker when someone's watching me, making it real troublesome to use a computer in a public place because of that too.

I kept going for another minute or so, really hoping it was just a bad coincidence, but when the nasty feeling refused to go away, I sighed loudly, rubbed my forehead in aggravation, and pronounced quite loudly, while looking back to where I came from, "You might as well get this over with; I doubt we're going to find a much better place to settle our little philosophical discussion now, are we?"

"That's a new way of putting it."

How the... I could have sworn whoever it was happened to be behind me! I started to turn back front, only to have to duck my head as a pair of tantos nearly took my head off (and took a few stray strands of hair off while they were at it!)

I didn't have time to take my bow out at the moment, and my hand-to-hand combat skills were... lacking at best. I still think I did pretty well in switching my turning momentum by going low, bracing my left hand against the ground, and swinging my right leg into a half-decent sweep kick. Apparently it was good enough to make my attacker jump back, doing a fancy little cartwheel, and entering a fighting stance with the tantos held in front, presumably to reevaluate me.

I decided to do the same myself, and entered a clumsy homebrewn fighting stance, keeping my left arm against my torso, palm facing up and hand partially closed, while I kept my right arm with the hand pointed up at about neck-level, fingers held together and the back of the hand facing my opponent.

Damn, did it HAVE to be both cute AND female!?!?

I blinked a few times. "Ah, just out of curiosity, would you mind telling me what it is exactly that I've done to warrant either death or a severe beating? I don't think I've been around long enough to get on anyone's bad side..."

The braid-girl's expression didn't change, but she did say, "You talk too much," prior to charging forward at a phenomenal speed. I was starting to raise my guard when she turned on her foot in mid-charge, and altered her momentum to take her behind me, I know for a fact that I'm not that fast, but I could still read the movements. It's not like she was invisible to the untrained eye yet, was she?

Guessing where the attack was coming from, I pivoted on my left heel and did a 180 degree roundhouse kick with my right leg, about the most advanced thing I can really do in hand-to-hand combat, and without much surprise on my part, she simply lowered her head and prepared to strike.

Right, experiment time, if this hits, it'll probably do a bit of damage, and if I lose my balance, I'll be on the defensive for the rest of the fight. Ah well, anything beats getting hit by those sharp things! Instead of canceling out my momentum from the roundhouse, I dropped low, balanced on my left hand, and swept with the right leg again, ducking under the Tantos in the process. Of course, she jumped over it, but as I returned to face her in my third sweep, I pushed up to get myself some more height, and tried doing a knife-handed chop instead of another kick while she was still coming down from dodging the sweep.

The chop connected as expected, what wasn't expected was the total lack of any acknowledgement from the attack (as well as how much my hand was hurting, and how suspiciously close I came to falling into the same trap the star characters of Harem anime tend to fall into, a few inches higher and things might have been bad...) There was an awkward pause at this point, as I chuckled nervously.

"Ah... Did I ever mention that I wasn't very confident in hand-to-hand combat?"

If we were lucky, at this point there would have been a dramatic gust of wind and a tumbleweed would have bounced across the battlefield. Unfortunately though, there was nothing to distract me from the total ineffectualness of my attack.

"That... Was... Pathetic..." Wow, I actually got a response... Granted, a chilly, icy, "I'm going to rip your heart out and make you LIKE it" tone of voice, but a response, nonetheless.

"So... Ah..." I began a few seconds later into the standoff. "You wouldn't mind holding on for a minute while I get into a slightly more prepared stance, would you?"

I took the renewal of hostilities as a "No."

Well, in my own defense, I was holding up fairly well against Braid-Girl's onslaught. I managed to keep away from those tantos, and while most of the unarmed attacks were getting through, they weren't doing much more then giving me a few nasty bruises.

Of course, the downside was that I was going full-out in just keeping up a defense capable of NOT getting killed, while she hadn't even broken a sweat yet. This usually means that you're outclassed to a new meaning of the word, but your opponent just wants to play around with you.

After a particularly good exchange of blows on my part, I managed to get enough space between us to catch my breath. I never even bothered with a stance at this point, and just let my hands hang loosely at my sides; I tried to be glib about the whole situation though, if my plan was to work, I'd need some time... "So, nice weather we're having today, isn't it?"

What? A Reaction? Who would have thought that just asking a totally irrelevant question would be enough to poleax this particular assassin? Well, as long as poleax is defined by a few blinks and a twitch. "I've seen better," was the reply, though when you get right down to it, it WAS the first verbal reply to any of the comments I had made during this fight. Just a few seconds more now, might as well call her over then!

"Well, I suppose it's back to work then." I took this opportunity to enter a modified version of my earlier stance; this might be my only chance to level the scales even a small amount! If this doesn't work out, I'm likely to tire out and get diced by those blades after a single misstep.

Then again, the very fact this is a last resort increases my chances of success by a reasonable margin, I fought very hard against myself to avoid smirking as Braid-Girl recommenced her attack, a head-on charge with those Tantos, now timing is critical here!!

Ka-CHING!

Rather then dodge this time around, I threw out both hands, the area between the thumb and index finger opened up and violet chi gathered around that region. I then proceeded to catch both blades with that reinforced region. I did garner a somewhat puzzled look from Braid-Girl though, I grinned weakly. "_Taihei-Ryu, Ken no Haji _(Taihei-style, Grasp of the Blade), the Wise Falcon hides it's talons and all that."

Slit.

Please let that have been a figment of my imagination... I looked down...

... Oh NOW you did it! DAMN those blades of yours to Hades! My new Shirt/Sweater's ripped!!! NOW you bleed, I don't care if you're a girl! My expression hardened. "You really... Really shouldn't have done that..."

I then flexed my hands slightly while falling back, utilizing the force built up from Braid-Girl's attack to send her into the air a bit of a distance above me. Next, I scrambled to my feet and pulled my bow out from the bundle on my back, pulled an arrow out from the holster that was also in there, and took aim at the now falling target, channeling all of my chi into the arrow.

"I'd like to see you dodge this in midair! HYAH!!!!!!"

The arrow, glowing a much brighter violet then usual, exploded from my bow with enough force to push my off my feet and impacted with Braid-Girl with considerable force. It even made a rather sizable explosion! At this point, my aura winked out, and I blinked a few times. "Was that just a little bit much?" I said to myself.

Of course, due to anime physics, the opponent is NEVER beaten when the smoke clears, and she dropped out of the smoke-cloud only looking slightly disheveled and not looking particularly hurt at all, though she seems to have put the tantos away.

Well... Mostly unhurt; there was one slight little detail I think she failed to notice. It was my final gamble, and if she took offense, I'd probably be beaten to a pulp.

"Ah..." I began with my traditional sentence starter, "I don't think you noticed yet, and I'd really like to apologize... But... Somethingwiththearrowwentweirdandnowyourehairisonfire!"

Braid-girl blinked a few times, and then reached back at her ponytail.

Yep, it was clearly on fire.

Her eyes widened slightly, and while I would have expected most people to run for the nearest lake, she was at least respectful enough to give a little bow beforehand and say "We'll have to finish this another time," before turning around and walking moderately quickly towards the nearest lake.

I blinked a few times, and then put the bow into the holster and strapped it to my waist. "Well... Pleased to meet you too." I then shrugged, and decided to head back to where we were all living. I think I've had a bit too much excitement for one day.

-----

As Kari and Sei trudged back to their current residence, Keiko and Reiko, the twin dragon hatchlings, were converging on a new target.


	9. Shoot Me

Chapter Nine 

Shoot Me

-----

I trudged down the street; some people might ask me why I was trudging. Well, my life was hell. Only just lately had I regained my body after my 'other' self had been in control for a few days. Oh, and before I forget to mention it, while she was in control she had gotten me pulled into another universe, hadn't even acknowledged the existence of any Eryn Belmont, and had multiple people believing she was a Mary Sue. I've contemplated that last part a few times myself, but I've always come to the same conclusion; she is too much of a bitch and burden to really be a Mary Sue. Plus, aside from Kuno, not many people like her.

Ah, back to the trudging. It just so happens I'm trudging around Tokyo trying to find clothing store. I had managed to acquire some funds from the couple Princess had gotten boarding with, on the agreement that I would stop asking for guns, rope, knives, and other implements with which I could attempt suicide. I have the distinct feeling they want me to live; I don't know why but they do seem to be concerned about me living, well either that or they don't want me to make a mess in their home in the process... yeah, it's probably the last one.

After, oh, about thirty minutes of trudging, I finally remembered the most important detail of looking for any place- you have to look up to spot it. I just so happened to be passing a place called Infinity Clothes. Well, actually, that's not what it was really called, but my brain is a universal translator, mainly thanks to a deal I made, so that's what it would have been in English.

I walked into said store and looked around for about another thirty or so minutes and picked out a couple of outfits, mainly vests, no sleeve shirts, and jeans. I also found this yellow thing that looked like the bastard child of a long sleeved shirt and a sweater. Oh, and I can't forget I picked up a silver Chinese tang shirt and a pair of silver kung fu pants. I thought it might be kind of funny to wear some time. I quickly paid for my purchases, only getting a small pittance of the funds I had been given back.

I trudged out of the store staring at the ground again before I heard to thumps on either side of my being. Looking up I spotted two girls, braids on opposites sides of their heads, but otherwise identical. Oh yeah, they also each held a pair of tantos in their hands. That kind of surprised me, so I asked, slightly confused, "Umm, are you two about to try to commit suicide?"

One of them apparently didn't take kindly to my comment so she thrust forward with her blade as she shouted, "Shut up and just let me beat the crap out of you!"

Now I've never claimed to be much of a martial artist, so suffice it to say the blade hit home, literally going in between two of my ribs and just missing my lung. The girl pulled her blade out with a smirk and a roll of her eyes. About a second later her eyebrow shot up in response to the fact that my skin had just finished knitting itself back together. I looked at her and remarked dryly, "That hurt you know."

The comment actually came out sounding much more suave then it had any right to, both girls even assumed defensive stances in response. I just stood there dropping my bags and kicking them towards the door, hoping against hope that my new clothes wouldn't be damaged in the beating to come.

I looked at both girls who were both still in their defensive stances, seemingly mirroring each other. Like before, one of them, I think it was the same one as last time, went for the attack. This time she aimed for the neck. I gulped and barely ducked out of the way, getting a boot to the rear for my troubles. I landed face first in the soft embrace of the sidewalk pavement. Before I could even make an effort at pulling myself up, I was kicked in my side. I think it was more then once, but I really have no proof as to whether it was or not besides a suddenly flaring pain as just about every rib on one side of my body suddenly broke. I pushed myself up off the pavement and stared at the girls, my breathing very shallow. Soon, though, my ribs were thankfully snapping back into place.

I was being beaten. Oh, this wasn't a new thing for me, it happened on a rather regular basis. It was just the first time it had occurred here.

Looking at the girls, I asked, "Is there a reason you two are beating the tar out of me, or are you just a pair of raving counter culture lunatics with some stupid idea that I have somehow wronged you?" Of course, all while I was saying this I was using just about every ounce of experience I had to avoid the various swings, punches and kicks from the twins.

As can easily be gathered, the fight progressed that way for quite a bit. I dodged, or got stabbed, my wounds healed, and I would have to go through it all again. After a good bit of this I was fed up. Looking at the girls, hate flickered throughout my being, I believed what I was about to do would work, my anger fueling this time instead of chance. I turned my head to the sky and bellowed, "BLUE THUNDER!"

Unfortunately, like every other time I've heard those words, I got the wonderful feeling of being struck by a massive amount of electricity, causing my body to fling backwards towards, of all things, a pet shop. Going through the front window, I looked in mute horror as my path took me directly into the filled fish tanks.

-----

Minutes later, a god awful scream was heard roughly moments before the door of the pet shop was knocked off its hinges. In a flurry of movement, a silvery shape was upon the twin dragon hatchlings. Much clawing, cutting, and hair pulling ensued.

Pulling away from each other clawed, scratch, bruised, and generally just in a prissy mood, the three girls stared balefully at each other. The twins looked at each other and nodded; before Gin could even react they had flipped onto the nearby roof of Infinity Clothes. Turning around Gin started to walk away from the scene of the battle, a sudden pain in her back caused her to fall to the ground in intense agony.

Unfortunately this also caused the rather obese man that had been walking innocently down the sidewalk to trip over her, spilling his cup of hot ramen noodles all over the fallen girl. Eryn pulled himself off the ground wiping the ramen off his hair and shoulders. Looking at the unfortunate ramen eater he shrugged his shoulders and made his way back to the front of the clothing store, picking his bag back up and beginning his long trudge home.

-----

Walking home was a rather long affair. Luckily, I didn't seem to suffer any ill effects from the rather irritating beat down I had gone through. It might be wise to ask Dai or someone more knowledgeable about this world if it was a commonplace occurrence. With my luck those girls had probably just mixed me up with someone else they were supposed to kill.

Doesn't really matter though. As I said, walking home wasn't a fun affair; those bags seemed heavier then they had been when I bought them, and my back seemed to have gone numb, but I guess fighting for half an hour would do that to a person.

Picking up the newspaper from the doorstep of Dai's apartment wasn't a fun experience either, especially with all the bag shuffling. I guess though that the newspaper's in Tokyo must mirror the general oddness of the area, I mean where else are young gonna read a headline stating 'Giant Blue Blur Bounds over Shopping Center?' Hmm, I wonder if Kuno has been out looking for Princess again.

I literally had to bang my head on the door of the apartment to get it open, of course since it was opened by someone else from the inside, that meant I oh-so-joyfully fell to the ground in mid head bang, only to receive a snort full of cold water all over my already wet back.

-----

Sei reached down his hand to help Princess up. Moving the bags aside he went over to her back. Princess spun around and accusingly asked, "What are you staring at, archer?"

Pulling the rather nasty looking tanto out of Princess's back, he presented it to her before stating, "This. You didn't happen to have a run in with a girl with a braid on the side of her head in a school girl outfit did you?"

Princess replied with a sweet smile and a finger down Sei's chest, "No, you sweet little man. I had a spat with two braided girls, one on each side of their head. I won of course. Though I wish you could've been there to protect me." Princess stuck her finger seductively to her lips; Sei ran out the door like his life depended on it, mumbling a flimsy excuse about needing chocolate.

Smiling to herself, Princess made her way to the back bedroom of the small apartment. Combing the room, she soon became sure that their was no book, ledger, notes, or some kind of statement as to the wealth or debt her lodgers lived in. Finally going into their closet she discovered her El Dorado. They had a safe, where else would Nabiki keep her financial statements but a safe, tucked away in her own home?

She made quick work of picking the lock with one of her hairpins and a keen ear. Then she moved out of the closet, paperwork in hand.

Sitting on top of the Tendos' bed, Princess pawed through the assorted folders, bank statements, and what not. A lot of the assorted information she casually threw to the floor, mainly including birth certificates, contracts, addresses, and so on.

After what felt like an excruciatingly long search, at least to her, Princess came upon the file that seemed to shine like gold in her hands, upon it were written those lovely words 'Tendo Family Funds.' Princess wasn't very shocked to find that the Tendos had been hiding a lot from the assorted guests, though she was quite astonished to discover that they were millionaires, if the yen were converted to American dollars. She had thought that their savings would've been somewhere in the upper thousands of dollars, no the actual millions. It certainly was going to change things around here, she might just have to get a bit closer to Daisetsu. First though, she would have to make sure Tatewaki and Nabiki were not there when she started the oh-so-sweet seduction, they really could ruin whatever plans she might make up with their mere presence, after all Kuno had before. Lucky dope.

-----

Kari Umikage had finally made her way to her current residence, she wasn't quite willing to call it home, but it was where she was living for the foreseeable future. Ryouga was apparently still out with Kuno getting an umbrella, Dai and Nabiki were in school, and Sei, Kodachi, and Princess were somewhere else.

Kari was quick to get herself a glass of milk from the small kitchenette of the Tendo home. She had had a rough day, with the fight and all. Kari gratefully dropped herself onto the couch in the living room without so much as a sound. A quick search around her yielded the television remote. Flicking the TV on she found the sound to be up too high, and also she heard a rather suspicious yelp come from the back room of the house.

Flipping over the couch with practiced grace, she made her way quickly into the bedroom. Not spotting anyone inside in her initial look, she slowly looked around the room from the doorway trying to find anything out of place. She quickly noticed a slight indention in the covers on the bed, coupled with a bit of a rustle in said covers. Continuing her search she spotted the biggest sign, the closet door was left slightly ajar. Walking in she slowly opened the door. Looking inside revealed the perpetrator, the person who she pretty much wanted to beat on since she met her. Walking up behind the girl that was shoving papers in a safe she softly kicked her in her derriere. The result was of course a satisfying yelp followed by some choice curses.

Princess spun around and looked into the eyes of the one that had assaulted her fine form. Princess slowly stood, using her foot to close the safe behind her. Looking down at the young girl Princess gave a pompous snort before asking in a not so nice tone, "Whatever do you think you're doing, you short little irritant?"

With somewhat surprising speed, Kari had Princess held against the back wall of the closet, using the safe to usurp the height advantage. A look of sheer and utter hatred was present on her face as she asked in a very angry tone, "Who," a punch the left cheek, "Do," a jab just below the left ear, "You," a punch just above the right breast, "Think," a slap to the left side of the face, "You," another slap to the face, "Are?" A punch to the gut, "Are," a pressure point just below her throat to keep her continually immobile once the shock wore off, "You," a punch to the same spot on the left side of her face, "Trying," A jab to the left ear, "To," a third slap to the face, "Get," a third punch the bruise on her face, "Us," a quick jab above the left breast, "Kicked," another punch to the gut, "Out?!"

Kari continued the beat down for quite a while before dragging Princess outside the closet, closing the door to the bedroom and dropping Princess on the floor in front of the bathroom. She then returned to her regularly scheduled program.

-----

"This way you damnable vagabond!" Escorting Ryoga Hibiki through the streets of Tokyo was taxing even the great reserves of patience held by one Tatewaki Kuno.

They were twenty minutes outside the Tendos' apartment.

And had only gone one block.

Several times.

Ryoga was getting frustrated, and Kuno's attitude didn't help it any. He was certain that they hadn't been by this area yet. He knew for a fact that they had never seen that building over there, for example.

It was the building that the Tendos lived in.

Kuno was done wasting time. "I have sworn to see you on your way today, and so I shall. Follow my lead and we shall soon be at the umbrella merchant's place of business."

Despite his innate distrust of the kendoist, Ryoga was forced to admit he probably did have a better sense of direction then he himself. "Fine then. You lead and I follow."

It was true that Kuno did have a decent sense of direction and they were in fact going in the right direction.

What he had no concept of was either distance or the mass transit system of Tokyo.

The umbrella shop in question was in Nerima.

They arrived as it opened the next morning.

"I have to say Kuno, I am glad I came with you. I'd never of found it this fast on my own!" Ryoga was sincere in his praise.

Tatewaki brushed a bit of fine brown hair out of his eyes. "Of course, my dear fellow. For I have a heart which is true and a spirit that is noble. Why the very angels themselves guide my way."

Ryouga rolled his eyes but didn't debate it. The point was that they were finally there. He opened the door and walked inside.

The store wasn't just an umbrella store. It had everything the experienced traveler could want. "No wonder I shop here! I wonder why I never found this place before?"

"You always seem to find your way back here eventually, Ryoga. What is it you need this time?" There was an elderly man behind the counter wearing a pair of light spectacles. Some people wore glasses. These could only be described as spectacles.

Initially, Ryoga was surprised that the man knew him. Then he remembered that this world's version of him shopped here as well. "Um, well I would like an umbrella."

"Sure thing." The man reached behind the counter and pulled out a large bamboo umbrella. "Made to order, just like all the others." The man then looked Ryouga up and down. "I have a complete pack here for you too, since you seem to be without yours."

That caused Ryouga to pause. It was true that he had bought one a while ago with the shopping money Nabiki had given him, but he also knew how easily he lost packs. Perhaps a spare would be ideal. However... "I don't think I have enough money..."

"Nonsense, I'll just put it on your family account." The man was already ringing in the purchase.

There was a nagging doubt about charging his purchase to someone else, but Ryouga decided that he could always come back and clear up the account on his own. Shouldn't be that hard either, since it was only a day away. Surely Kari would be able to get him here in close to that time.

Kuno merely waited while Ryouga accepted the goods. The idea of making purchases on established accounts was nothing new to him. Money was so vulgar, he preferred to patron stores that would grant his family credit. There were so many really. His brow went up and a smile graced his lips. Of course, he wasn't completely without resources even here!

The two teenaged martial artists turned and started to head for the exit. Ryoga was used to following someone so he didn't get lost on the way to the exit.

The automatic doors opened when they arrived and the two paused to watch a small black pot bellied pig as it walked in and looked around.

Ryoga blinked. "Looks like someone's pet."

Kuno shrugged. "No matter to us. We must be off home."

The two continued on their way.

And Ryoga Hibiki walked up to the counter and bweed loudly. The shopkeeper glanced over the counter to see his best customer. "Back already Ryoga? That's a new record even for you. Let me guess, you need an umbrella, clothes, and a pack?"

The pig nodded.

"And don't worry, I'll put it on your family's account." After all, the other pack was probably just around the corner. It wouldn't be the first time the same merchandise had been charged to the Hibiki family multiple times.

Soon enough the Hibiki boy was leaving the shop From behind a pair of spectacles watched the ever-alert eyes of the being known to some as FoxPaw.


	10. Mecha Mayhem

Chapter Ten

Mecha Mayhem

-----

Bokkai was excited. He would finally be able to show Daisetsu what he'd been up to the last few months. It made everything he had done for the Black Ronin look like amateurish child's play.

It was a top-secret project involving the government, the tops academic minds, and private industry. The military wanted counter-terrorist units capable of going toe-to-toe with martial artists and magical girl teams. While some might consider this paranoia, there were elements of the government that had heard of something called 'Crystal Tokyo' and were concerned that some group of heroes was planning some sort of takeover. They wanted to be prepared.

The university had provided bright young talent like Bokkai to the project. The military and government had provided the direction. CyberTech Industries, an international company and leader in robotic systems and AI's, had provided much of the technical know how while KUNO Enterprises had provided a healthy chunk of the financial support. Some of the Exo-suits promised to have industrial applications in addition to security uses.

Tomorrow the whole thing would be revealed to the public.

Tonight, Bokkai was being allowed to show off to his best friend. He knew that Daisetsu shared his interest in mecha from the anime the two both enjoyed. So often Daisetsu had been in the limelight, what with being a rival to Kuno in high school and being leader of the Furinkan High student body war council, then later becoming the Black Ronin, vigilante and demon hunter. It wasn't that Bokkai was jealous at all. It was just nice to be the center of attention for once.

The teenaged genius wasn't surprised when Nabiki showed up on Daisetsu's arm. He had counted on it actually. She was always nice to him. Daisetsu claimed that it was because she recognized his brilliance and wanted to be in tight with the next Bill Gates. It was flattering, even if she did compare him the net's version of the devil.

What he had not expected was a crowd. He recognized the Kunos, though he could scarcely believe they were associating with Daisetsu. He also recognized Ryoga though he didn't think the boy had an interest in robotics. Perhaps he was lost. He didn't recognize the young boy dressed up as a ninja. He remembered playing dress up as a kid. He'd always been a Thunder Ranger. Nor did he recognize the other two. One was a relatively normal looking guy while the last was a stunning young woman with long silver hair.

Daisetsu's smile was embarrassed. "Sorry about this, Bokkai. They're all house guests and wanted to come along too."

Nabiki muttered, "More like we couldn't risk leaving them all home alone."

Bokkai gave his friends a patient smile. It was his big day. The more the merrier. "Don't sweat it guys. I'm just glad you could make it."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world buddy." Daisetsu was all smiles.

"I'll have to introduce you all to Professor Yamaki. He's almost like an uncle to me." Almost as if on cue the aforementioned mentor stepped out of the Industrial Technologies building. Bokkai wasted no time in calling him over. "Professor, these are the friends I was telling you about."

Professor Yamaki was a slender and short man who was in his seventies and was balding. A long mane of unkempt white hair surrounded the dome of his head. His eyes appeared twice as large as they should from behind horn-rimmed glasses. He wore a slightly stained white lab coat over a plaid shirt and corduroy pants. His smile was pleasant and there was something immediately likable about the man. Standing beside Bokkai it was like having an eerie peek into the future. He eyed the unlikely crew with a jovial smile. "I never realized you had so many friends Bokkai. Good for you. Don't make the same mistakes in life I did. Take time to live life a little. Man cannot live on cybernetics alone—yet!"

The two shared a merry laugh while the others shared somewhat uneasy looks.

"So if everyone's here now, perhaps we should begin the tour." The Professor was already opening the door.

Bokkai blushed and kicked the ground absently. "Actually Prof, there is one more."

Daisetsu was raising his brow at his friend even as a girl called out, "Bokkai! I hope I'm not late!" Ami Mizuno trotted up to the group.

The professor smiled at the new arrival and then winked at Bokkai. "Well, now that your girlfriend is here I hope we can get started."

Ami and Bokkai were both blushing furiously though Bokkai managed a weak nod.

The Professor led the young people into the building and past three levels of security check points to a large hanger area. "I'll leave the tour to you Bokkai."

With that the professor stood back and Bokkai took center stage. He cleared his throat and then began to talk while gesturing to a pair of nearly identical exo-suits. "This hanger holds the latest in cyber-mecha technology. It is a combined project between academia, the military, and the private sector to produce units that can be used in counter-terrorism activities and have industrial uses.

"These two suits were donated to our project by CyberTech Industries. Called the Cyber-Ronin they are production line models with a couple of minor upgrades." The suits he indicated looked like modern high-tech versions of the ancient Samurai Armor. They stood about seven feet tall and looked too heavy to be worn as a regular suit of armor. The helmets had what appeared to be crescent moon antenna mounted to the forehead. The eyes were concealed behind visor like goggles and the rest of the face would be hidden behind a mask. The only differences between the two suits were that one was dark blue with silver highlights while the other was black with dark gray highlights.

"They were designed for security work, law enforcement and to provide infantry heavy weapons support. An all around general-purpose unit that has provided the core technology for all the other suits we've developed here. Features include layered ceramic composite armor that is effective against a wide range of ballistics and energy attacks. A fiber-wire auto-react muscle enhancement system backed up by micro-servo motors to enhance strength and agility. The boots have mini-rockets in them. While they don't provide flight capabilities they do greatly enhance the leaping abilities of the operators. Those visors you see provide an array of optical enhancements including passive nightvision, telescopic digital enhancement, infrared and ultraviolet vision along with thermal imaging. All have a range of about five hundred meters. It also includes a HUDS targeting suite and visual data overlay. That way E-mails, faxes, and other data can be viewed by the operator." Bokkai indicated the crescent moon on the blue unit's forehead. "And this piece is hardly decorative. It provides the unit's advanced communications array. In addition to HF and VHF radio transmissions the unit has satellite uplink capabilities and a built in digital modem. All transmissions are scrambled and transmitted on a rotating frequency. The units all have GPS tracking capabilities, though for security reasons those features can be disengaged."

"Whilst truly a mighty suit of armor, it seems to lack weapons of equal worth." Kuno's eyes were fixed on the blue armor and seemed unwilling to move.

Bokkai was mildly surprised that Kuno was paying any attention at all. He'd always taken the boy to be little more then a dumb jock. Still, he couldn't pass on the chance to show off his superior knowledge. "The suit has an E-cord that pulls out from the trunk here. It comes with an adapter that can power most energy weapons in use today. CyberTech also provided a pair of Vibro-Daisho made to be used with the unit. Its enhanced strength means it can use even the heaviest infantry weapons with ease. The project has developed a number of weapons pods designed specifically for this and the other units. We have tended away from energy weapons since use of the E-cord tends to drain the hydrogen power cells twice as quickly. Currently the units are capable of ten hours of constant usage without the E-cord. Constant usage with the E-cord and a lot of thruster enhanced leaps cuts that time to four hours. Without power the suit becomes two hundred and fifty pounds of dead weight."

Bokkai pushed his glasses up his nose. What he was about to discuss had been his idea. "When these units arrived the only weakness we perceived in them was that they were limited in their utility. They were bound to the ground. While this wasn't seen as important for the roles they were intended for, we wanted something that was a little more versatile. In other words, we wanted something that could fly. One solution was to create the Eternal Blue that I'll show you later. The other solution was the creation of a flightpack for the Cyber-Ronin. It is a flying harness with wings that sweep out from a folded position over the thrusters and then telescope out to twice their folded length. The flight pack is capable of speeds of up to two hundred miles per hour and an altitude of five hundred feet. Four hydrogen power cells power it. This gives it about ten hours of use. When combined with an E-Cord the power drain is much less, meaning the entire unit can function for eight hours when fully charged, flying and using energy weapons."

Kari had already moved down the line to the next suit. "Oooh! What's this one called?"

The unit in question was various shades of blue and was much less bulky then the previous two units. It was shorter overall as well, perhaps just under six feet tall.

The young inventor smiled. He hadn't had as much to do with this unit, but it was still an impressive unit. "This is the first offshoot of the Cyber-Ronin series, called the Eternal Blue It was initially envisioned as a flying counterpart. In order to accomplish this, the weight had to be reduced. About a hundred pounds of armor was shaved off. To compensate for this weakness, the unit's reflexes were enhanced. This came at the price of some of the increased strength. As the unit got smaller and less powerful overall, new secondary purposes were envisioned. It was seen as a scout unit. To further this purpose, a special coating was developed to conceal it from radar and obscure it to heat sensors and infrared systems. A sound suppression system was developed for ultra quiet operation. Despite its weight, it makes virtually no noise when walking or running. In addition, the vectored thrusters in the boots and back are ultra quiet and have heat-dampening qualities. The four back thrusters provide a speed of about one hundred miles per hour and an altitude of two hundred feet. It has its own version of the flightpack, but with superior performance. It can fly at three hundred and fifty miles per hour and has a maximum altitude of one thousand feet. Unlike the Cyber-Ronin it has integral weapons. There is a retractable vibro-blade in each forearm. The only downfall of the unit is that the integral thrusters drain the hydrogen cell at an alarming rate. At maximum output the unit's power cell can be drained in two hours. Use of the flightpack and its four cells increases operating time to a more acceptable eight hours." Bokkai couldn't help but smile at the young boy's gleaming eyes as he virtually drooled over the mecha.

The proud young man led the group to the next mecha. It was as big as the first two but much less stylistic. The arms and legs seemed bulkier and more powerful. It was red with gray highlights. "This unit was designed next. It is primarily intended to be used in industrial support roles as well as search and rescue. It has increased strength over the Cyber-Ronin provided by new hyper servos and uses cutting edge technologies to produce armor protection for the shins and forearms. The material is incredibly resilient and is in fact nigh indestructible. The only substance known to be tougher is Adamantium. In addition to the usual optics and communications suite,this mecha has been upgraded with inertial tracking and digital mapping capabilities. It creates a three-dimensional map of where ever it goes and can display its location on that map at anytime. Way points can be programmed into it and it can return the operator to those points. All the operator has to do is follow the arrow on the HUDS display. It can also track and locate all the other units within a ten-mile area. The mapping feature is further enhanced with both passive and active radar. For underwater operations the unit comes equipped with sonar as well. We have affectionately named it the Hell Hound because of its increased heat dissipation qualities. It can get as close to molten lava as you'd ever care to get without actually touching it."

Gin and Kodachi had wandered off and were regarding a pair of mechs with mild disinterest. It was enough for Bokkai to go off on one of his little spiels. "I see you two ladies have noticed the Valkyrie series. They are intended for use by female operatives. They were born from the Eternal Blue model. They lack its stealth abilities and aren't quite as fast and the flight pack isn't as fast, but they make up for it with increased armor. As you can see, especially in the chest area. The chest area also holds a pair of 9mm submachine guns."

"You have got to be joking!" Gin was nearly outraged at such cliché crap. The worst part was that they were both different shades of pink.

Bokkai merely shrugged. "That's what you get when geeks design your next generation of weapons." He didn't care what they thought about them, since he'd had nothing to do with their design. There were geeks and then there were geeks.

"What is this bad boy called?" Sei was dancing excitedly around the legs of a sixteen-foot tall mecha. The unit was humanoid with a box that could be a missile launcher on its left shoulder and a large barreled cannon over its right shoulder. There was a huge rectangular shield on its left arm and it carried an energy cannon of some kind in its right arm. It was painted olive drab green with black and brown highlights. The rear of the unit was open the back opening up as set of stairs that led to a roomy cockpit.

Bokkai puffed his chest out when he walked over to this one. He had been the team leader on its design. "While the others are exo-suits or powerarmor, this one is pure robotic mecha. We affectionately call it Tiny Tim though it is officially designated the ARCHER B01-1 because of the Archer series rail cannon mounted on its right shoulder. It has all the sensors of the other units but at twice the range. Plus it has the SNIPER targeting suite and combat computer. That box you see on the left shoulder holds eight SMART missiles. The energy cannon it carries is a particle beam cannon and is powered by its own hydrogen cell. The unit itself has sixteen hydrogen cells that give it a total of twelve hours of constant use. It can function with half as many cells, but for only four hours. That shield you see is made of the same material as the Hell Hound's forearms and shins, plus it can project an energy matrix over the surface of the shield to soak up even more damage. It can't fly or even leap, nor is it very fast compared to the other suits, but it more then makes up for it with heavy armor and firepower."

The Professor came to stand beside Bokkai. "It really has been an exciting project. These may well be the most advanced mecha in the world. And we have brilliant young minds like Bokkai here to thank for it."

There was a rumble in the distance, followed by a series of loud crashes. Then the rapport of heavy machinegun fire. The lights dimmed and then cut out. It took a second for the emergency lighting to kick in. There were loud thuds as heavy reinforced metal plates slid over all the entrances to the hanger.

"What's going on, Professor?" Bokkai was suddenly very frantic.

The Professor wore a face of concern. "The emergency counter terrorism protocols have engaged. We must be under some kind of attack."

"If we are to be attacked then I for one shall not take it passively." Kuno pointed to Bokkai with his bokuto. "You there! Help me on with this noble armor so that I can show yonder brigands what it means to trifle with house Kuno!" Without even thinking, Bokkai started helping Kuno into the Blue Cyber-Ronin.

Sei saw which way the wind was blowing and scrambled up the back of the Tiny Tim. The hatch closed behind him and the behemoth groaned to life. His voice ricocheted off the walls due to a loudspeaker built into the mech. "Alright! Bring it on baby! I'm ready. Say, how do you make this thing move?" The mecha took a hesitant step forward before slamming down on its face. "DAMN!"

The professor ran over to the fallen mecha and hastily began yelling instructions to the nervous pilot.

Everyone else decided that if they were going to be crushed by an out of control giant robot they might as well do it inside of government-owned mecha.

With a gleam in her eye, Kari started strapping on the Eternal Blue. It was made for someone of a smaller stature but still left her a lot of room to 'grow into' it.

Ryoga wasted no time in strapping into the Hell Hound. Something about it just called to him.

Meanwhile Daisetsu was following Kuno's lead in putting on the black Cyber-Ronin. The Black Ronin was a vigilante of the twenty first century after all.

Kodachi and Gin looked at each other and sighed. The only two suits left were the pink Valkyries. With a great deal of trepidation they suited up.

The martial arts mecha team was finished suiting up and the Tiny Tim had finally righted itself when one of the armor-plated doors blew in. In walked about twenty demons. They were all about ten feet tall with red skin, horns, claws, tails, and batwings. What made these demons particularly disturbing was that instead of pitchforks they carried oversized AK-48s with a bore size that suggested they were packing .50 caliber rounds. Instead of wearing loincloths and sandals they wore cyber exo-suits. These were the very models of modern demon terrorists.

"GET SOME!!!" bellowed Sei from his cockpit. His rail cannon barked once landing a solid hit against one of the demons and tearing it in two. The mecha staggered back then its arms began to flail wildly to the sides as it lost its balance. In slow motion it crashed onto its back and became akin to a giant metal-clad turtle.

"Hmm. We need to do something about the recoil on that thing." The professor seemed more concerned about the apparent design flaw then the nineteen demons storming into the hanger. Bokkai nodded his agreement, equally concerned, or unconcerned depending on how you looked at it.

As one, Tatewaki Kuno and Daisetsu Tendo lunged into the throng of demons. It might of surprised some how easily they fought side by side. That is until one realized they practiced the exact same style of Kendo. In addition, Daisetsu knew Kuno's moves at least as well as the Blue Thunder himself. Thus, they were able to compliment each other perfectly. Vibro-blades bit into demon flesh and hellish voices screamed their outrage.

Ryoga and Kari made an equally formidable team. In a fit of inspiration Ryoga hefted Kari's mecha up and tossed her with all his might into one of the demons. She extended her vibro-blades and engaged her thrusters. She managed to slice through three demons, armor and all, before colliding with a wall. The vibro-blades became stuck and she was forced to plant her boots against the wall and ignite her rocket boots to come free.

Kodachi and Gin were finding that 9mm rounds weren't terribly effective against armored demons. Two of the demons thought they'd have a bit of sport with the two, so they slung their machine guns and pulled out magic whips. "Time to school you bitches."

Gin was cocky. "I didn't think the fodder of hell were literate. What can you teach one such as I?"

Two whips shot out and just as fast were caught by the intended victims. Two wrists snapped and the handles were torn from the demons' grasps and into the waiting palms of two of the most demented females on any plane of existence. The whips seemed happier there as they cracked in the air for their new mistresses.

"Well _bitch_," sneered Gin, "class is in session!"

Kodachi let out a laugh that raced up the spines of even the hell spawned and then began a lesson in discipline that no creature could soon forget.

All this time Nabiki had not been idle. She had read way too many manga not to know what happened to attractive young ladies caught by demons. They might not have tentacles, but _still_!

Pulling open the lid of a crate, she found what appeared to be a very large rocket launcher of some kind. She yanked it out of the crate and followed the written instructions to load it. She was just managing to heft it to her shoulder when a demon lumbered over her. She quickly took aim and pulled the trigger. Her eyes went wide as it seemed two solid walls of air slammed into her from front and rear. When the sensation passed she fell back and onto her ass.

The shell sped towards the demons chest. Before impact an outer casing fell away and five separate warheads ignited their boosters. The missiles flew wide and around the demon.

"Hah! Silly woman!" announced the very relieved demon. "You missed me!"

Just then the heat sensors of the warheads came online. The warheads arced around and slammed into the demon's back, blowing its innards all over Nabiki.

Nabiki was a little dazed. Then she looked at the rocket launcher that had somehow managed to remain on her shoulder. She gave it a big kiss. "Every house wife ought to have one of these babies!" Like a woman possessed—or perhaps like an attractive young woman who had read too much manga about what demons do to attractive young women—she began to reload.

Ami Mizuno was also a fan of manga and had wasted no time in finding a secluded corner to conduct her transformation. She'd also called for her allies, the other Senshi. That done, she ran to Bokkai's side to see if he was okay. He and the professor had taken cover behind a stack of crates and were discussing how the mechs were handling in a live fire situation and what improvements could be made to them. Sailor Mercury sighed as she looked at Bokkai with quite a bit of affection. Then she said, "You know guys, I think that perhaps the Tiny Tim could use some sort of thruster in the back to compensate for the recoil of the railgun."

Meanwhile Sei had managed to right the Tiny Tim once more. Perhaps he'd avoid using the Archer cannon unless he had some way to brace for it. He brought the particle beam cannon to bear on an armor-clad monster. A packet of energized light lanced out and through the beast. "SWEET!" He was soon finding it was like shooting fish in a barrel.

Daisetsu wasn't doing so well. One of the demons managed to land a haymaker on the cyber-clad kendoist that caused to him loose his grip on his vibro-daisho as he slammed into a pile of crates. Glancing to one of the crates his impact had opened up he noticed an oversized semi-automatic shotgun. He smiled, unmindful of the demon bearing down on him.

"That's my husband!" Nabiki had climbed to the top of the highest pile of crates in the hangar. Somewhere she had found a combat helmet and put it on, though she had neglected to do up the chinstrap. She fired off the rocket launcher at the monster menacing her mate. The projectile was no sooner clear the tube when she lost her balance. One leg shot out in front of her. The rocket launcher flew up into the air as her arms spun wildly at her sides, desperately seeking balance. Her eyes flew wide as she noticed that she had lost her grip on the rocket launcher. "Come here baby!" She reached out and clutched the weapon to her chest like a long lost child. "Shit!" she muttered as gravity asserted itself and dragged her ass in a straight line to the waiting ground below.

The rocket split into five and then turned the giant demon into a giant mess. One of the demon's few remaining comrades took exception to having one of its number taken down by a mere female. Powerful legs propelled it into the air and powerful wings held it aloft. It took a moment to scan the ground for its victim. What it had planned for her no manga writer would dare put to paper.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! Powerful shells shredded its wings, bringing it down to the ground where Daisetsu was waiting. He slammed the barrel of the gun into the demons ear. "That's my wife!" BLAM! Its brains sprayed out its other ear.

That was the last of the demons. Slowly the mecha team gathered together in a circle around Bokkai and the Professor. They weren't sure were to go from here. All except for Daisetsu. Something had caught his attention on the demons armor and he was studying it intently. Three little letters held his interest. CTI.

"What do we do now Professor?" asked Bokkai.

"Don't worry boy, the security team will be here shortly and they will be able to wrap this mess up for us." The Professor managed to project a calm that he did not feel.

"You there! In the hanger. Come out with your hands up!" an amplified voice bellowed from outside.

"That would be them now I would expect." The professor calmly pushed his glasses up his nose and held his arms in the air. He walked to the opening made by the demons entrance. "No need for alarm. The situation is well in hand..."

The rapport of sub-machinegun fire ended his assurances and his life.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" boomed Sei. "THEY KILLED THE PROFESSOR! YOU BASTARDS!"

Daisetsu wasted no time taking charge of the situation. "Bokkai! Quickly! Who runs security for this place?"

Bokkai was in shock but he answered the questions automatically. "CyberTech Industries provided a security detail for the hanger. They were specially deputized for the purpose."

"We need to get the hell out of here, and it's not going to be by talking. We're going to have to fight our way out." Daisetsu's voice was grim.

"Maybe not!" exclaimed Ryoga. "My sensors show some kind of tunnel network beneath us."

"Or course!" Nabiki interjected. "The Subway has a terminal near here. We can get out that way. All we need is a hole big enough."

"LEAVE THAT TO ME!" Sei repositioned his mech and then launched a pair of missiles at the floor. When the smoke settled there was a huge hole that led to the subway tunnels below.

"Alright, everyone grab whatever crates you can carry. Bokkai, show us which ones are important, starting with fuel cells, then ammo, then weapons and spare parts. Sei, I want you down that hole first. Ami, Bokkai, and Nabiki, you climb up to Tiny Tim's shoulders so it can carry you." Daisetsu grasped Tatewaki Kuno's arm. "I need you to help me provide a rear guard for everyone else."

Tatewaki Kuno nodded curtly. "Of course. It shall be glorious."

Daisetsu grunted as the unlikely and hastily formed mecha team started looting the hanger and prepared to make their escape. He was wondering why the guards weren't rushing in when he heard the sounds of conflict from outside. Listening carefully he could make out the screamed attacks of the various Senshi over the rapport of gunfire. Keeping his eyes on the entrance he yelled over his shoulder. "Ami! Once I tell you, call up the other Senshi and tell them to pull back. We'll meet them once we find someplace safe."

"Right!" agreed the Senshi of Mercury. She was worried about her friends outside. They weren't really cut out for fighting other humans.

Daisetsu and Kuno were the last ones out of the hanger. Sei launched two more missiles that collapsed the tunnel behind them. Ami called her friends outside and then the team started to trot down the tunnel.

"Kari, you fly on ahead and see if you can't find us a place to hide. Ryoga, you go with her and use your sensors and mapping suite. Sei, you take the rear guard position. The rest of you form a spearhead on me." While not elected or nominated as leader, Daisetsu's voice had a quality to it that suggested it was used to giving orders and to having those orders obeyed. In the current state of confusion, people were obeying before it occurred to them to question why they should.

Ahead of the rest of the pack Kari and Ryoga made an interesting discovery. Ryoga paused at a large circular iron grate. "Kari, my sensors indicate that there is a whole other set of tunnels on the other side of this grate."

"Yeah, Ryoga," Kari replied dryly. "And my nose is telling me that they're sewers."

"Haven't you seen any movies?" demanded the lost boy. "The heroes always escape through the sewers."

Kari had to concede his logic. Together they pulled off the grate. Ryoga waited for the others to arrive while Kari scouted ahead a bit. She returned before the main body. "There seems to be another subway tunnel connected to these sewers by a crack in the wall. There's no lights or power or anything though."

"Maybe it's abandoned. Could be just what we're looking for." He radioed back to Daisetsu who agreed.

When the team caught up they closed the grate in behind them and made for the abandoned subway tunnel. It in turn led them to an abandoned subway station.

"I know about this place!" Ami exclaimed. "This subway station was abandoned when the tunnels suffered cave-ins due to poor workmanship. The whole place was condemned."

"Perfect," said Daisetsu. "This is the perfect place to hide our mechs till we figure out what to do next."

"How about figuring out what the hell just happened? Why were those goons shooting at us? Why did they kill the professor?" Bokkai was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Daisetsu held up a piece of metal he had torn off a demons armor. It had the CyberTech Industries logo. "It was a set up. CyberTech was trying to steal the mechs. Kinda clever when you think about it. Provide a couple of prototypes, let the government and other competitors pay for new upgrades and technologies and then steal it all back and make it look like some kind of terrorist attack. Only they weren't counting on our little unscheduled tour."

Bokkai shuddered. His world was now suddenly a very dark place.


	11. Of Outlaws and Senshi

Chapter Eleven

Of Outlaws and Senshi

-----

Setsuna was disturbed by what she was seeing in the Time Gates. Until now, there had been many paths she could use to get to Crystal Tokyo. One by one she was seeing them evaporate and she didn't know what was causing it. At first she thought that it might have something to do with the dragons' game. The Time Gates always took time to recalibrate after the introduction of outside sources.

As per long standing agreement, Ryo had duly notified her of what was going on, even when additional random factors were added. The Time Gates had compensated for them easily enough. They were nothing but minor players and their contact with the Senshi would only serve to further the eventual creation of Crystal Tokyo. But something had gone wrong and it was while watching them that she had noticed.

What was supposed to happen was that the group would take a tour and see some newly created mecha. Intrigued, they would all wind up joining a new government-sponsored strike force defending Japan from evil forces. Through them, the Senshi would gain legal recognition and support. It was one step closer to being in a position to found Crystal Tokyo when the crisis point came.

That was not what happened. Now both teams were wanted criminals. True, their secret identities were preserved, but it was the Senshi identities that would rule the world of tomorrow. They had always been heroes, never criminals. How could this smear be overcome? Before she could even imagine using the Time Gates to correct it, she had to find the source.

"It is said that if you want to rule a city, open the gates and let in a lion. After the lion has the city in the thrall of fear, kill it and then order it's hide hung on the city gates. Then give another order and it too shall be obeyed." The amused voice came from behind her. "You have seen the lions, and are ready to kill them and then start giving orders. Unfortunately, I have my own lion, and my own orders."

Setsuna spun on her heal. "Wh… You? But that's not possible. You're violating the accords."

"I suppose now you'll tell me that the other Time Lords will stop me? I don't suppose they've been blindsided as easily as you?" The voice was mocking as well as amused.

The Senshi of Pluto attempted her Dead Scream attack and found it would not work. All of her abilities seemed to have been stripped away.

A second voice joined the first. "Silly woman. Have you forgotten how Earth managed to remain free from the Moon Kingdom all those ages ago? Our magic was as strong as yours. Perhaps even stronger."

"But those magics were all lost. I saw to it myself!" Setsuna was caught between outrage and fear.

Again the second voice spoke. It was as amused as the first. "In this world perhaps."

It all fell into place now. She didn't even need the Time Gates to know. They had played their hand well. They had made no changes and waited. Waited until the Time Gates had to recalibrate. Then they made their move and changed things again before they could cope with the changes. "I suppose you'll be killing me now then."

The first voice snorted. "So you can be reincarnated and bother us later? Forget it. We have something else planned for you."

The second voice continued. "Ever hear of the legend of King Arthur? Ever hear of the nymph Nimue? No matter either way, just be sure to give my regards to Merlin."

There was a breath of crisp, cold air and then Setsuna was whisked away from the world.

"What do we do about these?" The second voice was referring to the Time Gates.

"Nothing. Without her they have no purpose." The first voice was filled with confidence. Confidence borne of arrogance. "Come, we have other matters to attend to."

The Gates stood alone. Had anyone been there to see them, they would have seen them focus on a group of unlikely heroes.

-----

"But I don't want to be an outlaw!" It was the first thing anyone had been able to get out of the sobbing Usagi since the special news bulletin.

It showed four of the Senshi battling it out with the legally appointed deputies of the CyberTech security forces. To the orderly and law abiding citizens of Japan, it was an act akin to treason.

From within the armored hanger a voice could be heard. "WHAT THE -BEEP-! THEY KILLED THE PROFESSOR! YOU -BEEP-!" Then photos of the professor were flashed across the screen, followed by the grieving relatives demanding that justice be done against these magical freaks. Warrants were issued for Sailor Moon, Sailor Venus, Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter. All of the other Senshi were wanted for questioning.

"Look at the bright side." Nabiki tried her best to sound comforting. She was getting a headache listening to the girl whine. "At least they don't know your real identities."

"At least until a real detective starts comparing pictures of the Senshi with School year books." Gin wasn't in the best of moods and didn't see why anyone else should be either.

"Wah! I'm supposed to be princess of the Moon Kingdom, not a common criminal." The alleged princess returned to her fit of tears.

"Nabiki has a point," Daisetsu commented. "Somehow, no one ever seems to make the connection between your Senshi identities and your everyday ones. It may have something to do with your magic natures. In the meantime just be glad you can still hide in plain sight." The young man was pacing. He was pacing and thinking.

Minako looked sullen. "Easy for you to say. They don't even know you guys were there. All the security cameras were destroyed along with the recordings. Since your tour wasn't scheduled, there's no record of you guys being there." The girl was nearly as depressed as Usagi. Her Senshi identity was as real to her as her supposed 'real' one.

"There's no point in everyone getting depressed or turning on each other. We're in this together and we'll get out of it together." Ryoga's voice was gentle yet firm.

"Cool! We're outlaw heroes!" Sei was sitting on the foot of the Tiny Tim.

Everybody stared at him for a moment, prompting him to continue. "Oh come on! We're like the X-Men, defending the world that hates and fears us."

"You know, it is kinda romantic. In a hopeless sort of a way." Makoto was eyeing Ryoga and wondering why he wasn't shyly flirting with her, as he was wont to do.

Kari laughed. "The only thing they need to fear from us is Sei dropping Tiny Tim's ass down on some of them!"

Sei stuck his tongue out at his young friend.

Tatewaki was admiring some of the artistically arranged tiles that made up murals throughout the abandoned subway station. It was a little known fact that he possessed an IQ of 151, thus proving that genius and insanity are rarely strangers. "We are not the outlaws. We are the victims of treachery and falsehood. Our cause is noble and our hearts true. We are the heroes in this drama and we will be the ones to overcome."

Everyone stared at the young kendoist, who was oblivious to their attention as he admired the artistry on the walls.

Was it really that simple? Was the world really black and white? They were the heroes doing what was right and the rest of the world was wrong. These thoughts or thoughts like them were on everyone's minds. Well all minds except for one.

"There's an abandoned bank above us. It's for sale." Ami looked at her laptop that was currently plugged into Ryoga's mecha. She looked up when she realized that she was suddenly the focus of everyone's attention. She blushed and cleared her throat a bit. "I was just thinking that this subway station would be a good place to hide your mecha and perform maintenance, but you'll need a way to come and go without being seen. And lets face it, trudging through the sewers isn't all that appealing."

A few nods of agreement followed her statement.

Ami continued. "So I started checking the web to see what local buildings were for sale. This bank looks perfect."

Nabiki trotted over to the blue-haired girl's side. Something was stirring in her analytical and calculating mind.

"So what do we do now?" Usagi was finally coming out of her shock state.

Daisetsu was the one who replied. "We return to our lives until we can think of something better. The world isn't over nor will it stop for our troubles. We need to figure out what is going on and at the same time not show our own hand too early. So we continue with our lives and we keep our eyes open and we plan. It's not much, but it's all I can come up with at the moment." He was tired. He needed a chance to rest and regroup his thoughts. They all did. If he was right about his suspicions, then they were all in over their heads. The only advantage they had at the moment was that their enemies didn't know who they were.

There was a general consensus among the Senshi who returned to their normal states and headed for the normal world. That left the eight mecha pilots. And Bokkai.

"So what do I do?" Bokkai, like Usagi was just now recovering from his shock. "I've just learned that everything I've been working on has been an elaborate set up. Tech theft. For that the professor lost his life."

Daisetsu put an arm around his friend's shoulder. "I can't pretend to understand what you're going through right now, Bokkai. But I can promise you this. We'll get the bastards responsible for this. I don't know how, but we'll find a way. And then we'll make them pay."

"We can start collecting payback right now." Nabiki was wearing her cat in a canary store grin. "I think I may have come up with the solution to all our immediate problems."

Everyone gathered around to hear what she had to say. "It's like this, guys. Someone wants those mechs and will come after them. That means fight after fight. That means expensive repairs. Bokkai has the know-how, but he'll still need parts and materials. That takes money."

"So dip into your vast savings, you penny pinching tightwad." Gin was still bitter at having to live under conditions of poverty while the Tendos were nearly wallowing in hidden wealth.

The look Nabiki shot Gin could cut glass or wither flowers. It had certainly turned many peoples knees to jelly. Gin returned the gaze. "It might surprise you to learn that I planned to. Now shut up so I can finish." Nabiki cleared her throat. "We need to spend money to make money. Starting with buying that bank over our heads. Then we set up a business. Something that we can use as a cover for our 'other' activities. Something that we might actually be able to do."

Kodachi was skeptical. "Are you suggesting that my brother and I lower ourselves to the position of common business people?"

Nabiki wasn't happy with the female Kuno. "No, I don't expect much from you really. I'll handle all the business aspects. You'll receive fair salaries minus living expenses, of course. All you have to do is accept the odd assignment." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "We may even be able to open a Nerima branch…"

"Branch of what?" Sei was fidgeting, waiting to hear what Nabiki's idea was.

"A detective agency. It will give us the ability to move about undetected and give us a way to keep our ears to the ground so to speak. Not to mention a legitimate source of income and a way to launder any less then legitimate earnings we come across." Nabiki was grinning widely.

"So now we are to become common criminals as well?" Gin couldn't manage the same level of moral outrage that Kodachi could.

Nabiki laughed. "Not as such no. But bad guys often have money and when we fight those bad guys we might as well liberate their ill-gotten funds as well. To keep it from being used for nefarious purposes you understand. Since it would be impossible for us to determine where these funds came from with our meager resources we might as well keep it and use it to foil more nefarious plots."

Daisetsu smiled. He loved his wife. She could sell a freezer to an Inuit in the dead of winter and get them to pay the shipping and handling fees.

-----

Detective Misato did not like the gaijin he had been assigned to work with. He'd been told that the gaijin was the head of security for CyberTech Industries and was here to assist in the investigation. Yet when Misato had tried to look into this man's past he had drawn a complete blank. Oh, there were files on him, held by a number of government agencies from a number of governments. It was just that none of those agencies had wanted to share what they knew.

Misato wasn't a detective because he liked mysteries. He was a detective because he liked finding answers. When confronted with a situation that wouldn't yield those answers, he became irritable. Thus he watched on impatiently as his charge poked and prodded through wreckage that had all ready been gone over by some of the best experts in the field. "I've already told you. An undetermined number of paranormal creatures gained entry to the facility. About twenty of them were slain by your own security forces and the remainder escaped into the subways and sewers. We haven't been able to track their movements past that point. We don't need you here to confirm what my government has already ascertained."

The gaijin had been crouched down to examine several holes in the armored floor of the hanger. His experienced eye told him that they had been put there by armor piercing .50 caliber rounds. The slugs had already been taken away. The entire scene had been completely sanitized. He stood to his full two-meter height and looked down at the angry Japanese detective. What he had to say wouldn't make the detective any happier. "I have not come here to confirm the findings of your government or anyone else. I have come here to find out what happened."

"You make it sound like we're engaged in some sort of cover-up." Misato was outraged by the insinuation.

His 'partner' shrugged. "I think it's time we returned to the station. I want to review the recordings of the fight that happened outside."

A short while later the two were facing a trio of computer screens. The gaijin had no difficulty in playing and manipulating the images before him. He whispered to himself something in English.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that." Misato knew the man could speak Japanese. It was just rude of him not to.

"I said they're just kids. Can't be one of them that's twenty yet." The mans voice wasn't incredulous as one might expect. Rather it was merely stating the obvious facts. Misato had yet to witness any real display of emotion from the man. "And there are only four of them. How is it they seem to handle the security forces and the police so easily?" He pointed at the screen. "That one must be mocking her foes, the way she manages to stumble or fall out of the way just in time. It's hard to believe she's even taking this seriously."

Misato shrugged. "They're magical girls."

"Magical girls?" Clearly the man wasn't familiar with the phenomenon.

"You know, teenage girls protecting the world from the forces of evil with the powers of love and whatnot. This group calls itself the Sailor Scouts, I believe. They've been known to fight demons in the past." There was a hint of superiority in Misato's voice. He enjoyed knowing things he thought of as common, but were a complete mystery to the other man.

Rubbing his temples, the gaijin spoke in a tired tone. "So let me get this straight. A band of demons show and raid the facility. A group of magical girls also then show up and the security forces engage? Why not just get out of the way and clean up the mess afterwards?"

The detective smiled. "I wasn't the on scene commander. Actually, it was your CyberTech security boys that engaged first."

"I wasn't the on scene commander either." There was a certain grimness to the way he said it that suggested he was going to have a very one way conversation with the man who was the on scene commander.

"I want to start comparing the pictures of these girls to those of girls going to school in the area. Ages seventeen to twenty." The man looked up at Misato expectantly.

"It would take forever to go through that many pictures," Misato scoffed.

"I have time," was the man's only reply.

Misato shrugged and arranged to have all the local yearbooks uploaded. Then he had yearbooks from all the outlying districts uploaded just to be sure. A dedicated man, the detective worked late and didn't head home until midnight. The gaijin elected to remain at the computer even later. He was still there when Misato returned the next day. What was more, he didn't look the least bit worn out.

The gaijin glanced up briefly when Misato arrived. "Take a look at these two pictures."

Misato examined the two images on the screen. On the right was a photo of one of the suspects, Sailor Moon. On the left was a yearbook picture of someone named Usagi. "Yeah, so?"

"Do you see any similarity between the two?" The man's voice was level.

"You mean other then the fact that they're both blondes?" Misato shook his head. "Nope, none at all." He was beginning to feel sorry for the gaijin. Clearly the lack of sleep was getting to him.

"Curious," was all he said before asking similar questions about other pairings. He had Sailor Mars paired with a girl named Rei, Sailor Venus with Minako, and Sailor Jupiter with Makoto. Not one of the pairings made sense to Misato.

Clearly they were all unique individuals. "What is the point of all this anyway?"

"Just testing a theory. Don't worry about it, I haven't found anything." The man stood. "If you'll excuse me, I'm tired. I think I'll retire to my hotel room, if you don't mind."

Misato didn't mind at all. He was glad to have the interloper out of his hair.

Damien Hunter didn't go anywhere near his hotel.

-----

Soon everybody started to put their heads together to work out the details. It was agreed that the first order of business was to secure their present location within the station. They located and either blocked or concealed all entrances to the station. Booby traps and primitive alarms were set up as early warning devices in case of intrusion. Daisetsu seemed to have wide range of knowledge in the area. This was supplemented by the way Gin naturally thought in underhanded ways.

Various offices in the station were selected as sleeping quarters and the bathrooms were located. An old restaurant was selected as a kitchen. Bokkai and Daisetsu set to work illegally tapping into the city's power grid, telephone lines, and hooking up the plumbing. Bokkai had the knowledge and Daisetsu possessed the practical skills.

Grudgingly, Nabiki agreed to set up a fund to purchase the furniture and building supplies required to make the station livable. She also agreed to spring for the tool sets that Bokkai required. It was almost physically painful for her to watch as her life savings started to evaporate. There was one financial snag, however. Neither Daisetsu nor she was yet at the age of majority. They would need an adult to sign off on some of the paperwork, mostly in regards to buying the bank and owning the business. Both agreed that her father was the best candidate, though it would mean a trip back to Nerima.

That raised the question of what to do with their guests. Nabiki had discovered Gin's snooping in her and Daisetsu's financial files. She really couldn't trust the girl. And Daisetsu still seemed unwilling to trust Kari. No one in their right minds would trust the Kunos. Sei seemed okay, but what did they really know about any of them?

There was, of course, only one answer. Take them all with them. It was probably inevitable in any case. Might as well do it under controlled conditions. Well, at least as controlled as possible.

In the meantime Nabiki looked over the floor plans of the bank. She could take the manager's office. The vault could have a hole put in the bottom and used as an entry point into the station. The pilots were all insisting that a fireman's pole be installed. Some other method would have to be devised to get back _up_ to the bank though. Bokkai was reasonably sure he could rig some sort of concealed entrance into the roof of the bank and was working on some preliminary sketches.

That left a name for the group. Nabiki smiled as the perfect one occurred to her.

Others were less receptive to the idea.

"Y.E.N.? You have to be joking." Ryouga was incredulous to say the least.

"Sure. Young Enforcers of Nihon. It fits perfectly." Nabiki wasn't to be dissuaded.

"Lets put it to a vote." Kari decided that diplomacy would be the best option.

Tatewaki, Kodachi, Nabiki, Gin, Daisetsu, and Bokkai all voted for Y.E.N.

Kari, Sei, and Ryoga all voted for anything else. Anything at all.

Nabiki smiled. Now all that was left was a trip home to Nerima. How bad could it be?

-----

In a secret cave on Daisetsu Mountain, two children returned home to tell their parents what they had learned.

Reiko began. "The archer shows potential. He thinks fast on his feet and almost hit me once." She fluffed her ponytail idly. "It did provide me with a way to withdraw from the fight. Good thing he doesn't realize that my father is a volcano dragon, or my little illusion would have been ineffective."

Keiko lounged on an outcropping of rock. "Despite her diminutive size, the ninja is quite skilled. She has a great deal of potential. Her main assets are speed and skill. She's not developed enough for much strength or toughness."

"The third is cause for some concern." Reiko was frowning slightly.

"No shit," agreed Keiko. "He knows magic."

"It's not that he knows magic," countered Reiko. "It's that he has more magical power then he knows how to control. He's a wild card. A truly chaotic element."

"At any rate," Keiko was glaring slightly at her twin, "all three have more power than your original avatar. Even with the gifts you've given him."

Ryo was patient with his daughters. "You underestimate the boy."

Rei was equally calm. "He simply hasn't been properly motivated as yet." The adult dragons exchanged looks, before she went on. "But that will change in the fullness of time."

Ryo went over to the pool. "We are satisfied that they will make for interesting sport."

Rei joined her husband by the pool. "But there is something that is cause for true concern."

The pool turned silver and then an image appeared on its still surface. The image was that of an office. Inside the office were two youths, talking to a chair behind a desk. The chair occasionally moved.

"What's going on here? Are they talking to someone who is invisible?" Keiko was peaking around her father.

"The pool would reveal the figure if they were merely invisible. No, this person simply can't be seen. Nothing we've tried has worked." Ryo wore a face of concern.

"We have another mission for you two," Rei said seriously.

The twins exchanged looks. It wasn't like their parents to be so serious or worried.

Together, they made their reply. "We will do as you bid."

-----

Ryo Sakegachi and Nanashi Machiho walked into the office as though they owned the place. They were young and cocky, but not without good reason. They considered themselves the best martial artists of their generation, and had yet to be proven wrong. Thus, they hadn't been shocked to receive a summons to the CyberTech corporate building in Tokyo, security division. They had both seen the fiasco with the magical girls on TV and it made sense to them that the company would be wanting to hire some 'trouble shooters' to take care of the problem.

What they hadn't expected was to be made to wait for nearly two hours before seeing the very man who had summoned them. While cooling their heels, the man's secretary had told them only that he was busy. So they were just a little annoyed when the secretary was finally told to send them in.

"You better have a good reason for making us wait so long," Ryo said harshly. He was dressed in his usual long-sleeved blue shirt and black pants. A black bandana was also wrapped around his head.

Nanashi didn't say anything as he quietly looked around the office. It was spartan, like it was never used. He was dressed in a white coat that obscured his face and contrasted with his long black hair.

Their employer stood to his full two-meter height. He was dressed in a black suit that had probably been made just for him in Italy. He didn't reveal any emotion on his face. "I was busy."

"Busy with what?" demanded Ryo.

The man walked casually to the window. "Let's get a couple of things straight before we start. I do not answer to you. You answer to me. The moment you stop answering to me, then I will stop paying you. If you can't handle that, then quit wasting my time. I assure you, it's more valuable then yours is."

The boys exchanged looks. They were used to working together, but not to taking orders. Still, they had come this far, it only made sense to see what for. "Okay, then why did you ask us here?" Ryo managed to keep his tone respectful.

"First things first." The man turned around. "My name is Damien Hunter and I am the head of CyberTech security. Not just for Japan, but for all our operations worldwide. I have come here to find out what went wrong with our security and how our property came to be stolen. There are matters within the company I must investigate. They do not concern you. What does concern you, is that while I am pursuing these other matters, the mecha thieves must also be found. I have heard that you two represent the finest that Japan has to offer. Therefore I want to hire you on a freelance basis to track down these pilots, capture them, and return our mecha to us. You will receive a standard freelance fee of six thousand American dollars per week each. Any expenses will come out of that fee."

"We want expenses included." Ryo was impressed with the figure offered, but wanted to find out how much this cow could be milked for.

"Good day gentlemen, our business in concluded." The man walked over to his desk and started typing something into his computer.

The boys exchanged looks. Ryo was a tad confused. "Are we hired?"

Damien looked up. "Are you two still here? How can you be hired when you did not accept my terms?" The only sign of emotion he showed was a slightly raised eyebrow.

Again the boys exchanged looks. "Very well." Ryo was seriously starting to dislike this guy. "We'll accept your offer."

"Good. I suggest you get started." Again Damien returned to his work at his computer.


	12. Back to Nerima

Chapter 12

Back to Nerima

X X X

"The guy trying to edge away from Kodachi as quickly as his fingers will allow is Eryn Belmont. Don't splash him with cold water, believe me when I say you don't want to know why."

Eryn gave a brief, and somewhat self-conscious smile.

"The young man with the strange growth on his leg, sitting beside Kuno, is Seishin Taihei."

Sei gave a somewhat shy wave of greeting.

"The guy that looks like Ryoga, well, is Ryoga, but he's not."

Ryoga gave a bright smile, at least until Kari elbowed him twelve times in the ribs.

"As I'm sure you recognize them, these are Tatewaki Kuno and his sister Kodachi, but they are not quite the ones you remember."

Kuno stood up and gave a bow. All the while, his sister had not yet given up on capturing her prey.

As Dai and Kuno sat back down, everyone eyed the remaining guest that Dai had failed to introduce. Nabiki gave her husband the evil eye before standing up herself and finishing, "And our final employee is Kari Umikage. She is a young prodigy in the field of detective work, and a practitioner of the Umikage style of Ninjutsu." As an afterthought, she added, "And that last part is why Dai dislikes her."

As Nabiki sat back down everyone looked uncomfortable for a few minutes before Ranma spoke up, "Umm, but I thought the blue haired... girl, was a guy."

Before anyone knew what happened a mallet and a foot rested atop Ranma's head. Dai eyed Akane, who in turn bit her lip, a slight amount of shame visible on her face for returning to old habits.

After Akane had retrieved her mallet and put it back into whatever pocket dimension unused mallets go to, Ranma pulled himself out of the floor and gulped before asking, "Well... So Kari is a ninja, right? So what are the rest of them?"

Nabiki stood up, taking it upon herself to answer the question. "In the order of introduction... Useless guy who heals really, really fast with no real fighting skills; Practitioner of the Taihei school of Ki based Archery; Same as the other Ryoga, just lacking the special Amazonian training; Same as Tatewaki... and same as Kodachi."

Genma pushed up his glasses and gave Dai an analytical look as Nabiki sat back down. The elder Saotome let a few moments pass before he finally spoke. "Stop beating around the bush, boy. He's Ryoga, but he's not? They are the Kunos, but not the ones we remember? Tell us straight who all these people are and don't give us this bull cocky about them being your new employees for some detective agency you're setting up."

Dai scratched his chin for a few minutes before finally giving in and replying, "Ryoga, Kuno, Kodachi, Seishin, Eryn, and the violent thug are all from alternate realities. Ryoga and the violent thug are from one where, apparently, Ranma and Ryoga's rivalry never got anywhere near as serious it got here. Eryn and the Kunos are from a reality where the Jusenkyo guide got fired. And Seishin is from a reality where the Nerima Wrecking Crew was a bit different then it is here. Does that explain what you wanted to know?"

Genma's eyebrows were raised a little - not much, but a little - as were just about everyone else's in the room but Happosai. Happosai, unfortunately, was eyeing Eryn.

X X X

As the group left the dojo, Kodachi swung her arm around an unsuspecting Eryn's neck and with a call of, "Oh, Eryn, my love, of course I'll go on a date with you!" The two were off; well, Kodachi was off and Eryn was being dragged bodily behind her.

Nabiki spared less then a glance to the departing couple as she left the dojo with her arms tied around the two of the most important men in her life. Smiling up slightly at her father, she said, "Come on, Daddy, we need to go get that paperwork done." With that, the young married couple and aging martial arts master made their way back to the house.

Ranma and Akane surrounded Ryoga on both sides as they left the dojo, inadvertently bumping Kari away. As the three went to the side of the dojo, Kari sat next to the door, a slightly sullen look covering her face.

Boisterous laughter preceded Tatewaki Kuno and Seishin Teihei's exit of the aforementioned dojo, all of the laughter Kuno's, of course. As he found himself outside, Kuno turned to Sei and stated, "Now Seishin, shall we venture forth into Nerima and see what this world has to offer the likes of us?" He really didn't wait for a reply before dragging Sei through the back gate of the Tendo home.

X X X

Being 'befriended' by Kuno was something of a new experience for Sei. Of course, having been the rival of the boy's double in his previous world might of aided in the surprise of the situation.

But what was really surprising was that after leaving the Tendo home, it had only been a matter of a few minutes before Kuno had managed to find trouble.

Apparently Nerimian cheerleaders had something against the boy. Well, that is if he had interpreted the situation correctly, though, honestly, how many ways could you interpret being chased down the street by cheerleaders wielding spear guns?

For about the millionth time, he asked himself why the hell there was an Anything Goes Martial Arts Fishing and Bait shop. Of course, like every other time, the only answer he got was having to dodge another projectile that had nearly hit him instead of its intended target, Tatewaki.

X X X

Kari Umikage sat on the steps of the Tendo dojo. She wasn't in the best of moods, as the rather large collection of kunai sticking against the fence in front of her attested to.

Her best friend hadn't even cared to try to include her in whatever Ranma and Akane had dragged him off to do. She couldn't really blame him, but she was sure having her own kind of fun trying. Once again, a kunai whipped out from apparently nowhere and hit another imaginary Ryoga.

X X X

Eryn Belmont's life was hell. Well, his life was always hell, but it was especially hell today, as his supposed 'girlfriend' was dragging him through the streets of Nerima, very likely giving him road burn, towards some unknown destination for the most dreaded... well, the second most dreaded reason he could think of.

A Date.

Eryn shuddered at the thought. He probably would've vomited, had it not been for the fact he had yet to have anything to eat. Which was probably the only reason he hadn't chewed off his arm yet.

Starring at the back of the girl who was currently dragging him through the Nerima district, he asked, "Where are we going?"

Smiling, Kodachi replied, "Oh, I don't know, my wonderful knight, we shall see what place strikes my fancy."

Eryn sighed. "God, I wish I had a gun."

X X X

Attempting to abandon an insane kendoist was proving harder then Sei would have thought. So far, every time he attempted to either jump into an alleyway or even just go the other way, he was forced to jump back to dodge one of the projectiles being shot from the spear guns or he was pulled back to Kuno's side by the kendoist himself.

Turning to Kuno as they ran, he managed to ask, "This is starting to seem a rather fruitless path, isn't it?"

Kuno nodded. "Yes, my admirers are rather persistent aren't they?"

"Yeah, admirers, right," Sei sighed.

Kuno's head seemed to dart back and forth for a moment before he turned to Sei with tears ringing his eyes, "Thank you my friend, your sacrifice for the noble house Kuno shall be well remembered."

Sei's head spun back to Kuno, confusion shining upon his face, "Huh? Who in the what, now?"

Sei soon found out what exactly Kuno meant when he was suddenly tripped by the other boy's bokken.

As he was surrounded by enraged females, Sei shouted, to no one in particular, "TATEWAKI KUNO, I'LL CASTRATE YOU FOR THIS!"

Somewhere around the Tombiki district, Ryoga Hibiki sneezed.

X X X

Ryoga wiped his nose as he looked back up to Ranma and Akane. They had dragged him around the dojo as soon as the introductions had been finished.

Ranma seemed a bit more intimidating then he remembered, almost like he had lost some of his innocence since he had last seen him.

Drawing Ryoga out of his thoughts, Ranma grasped the boy's shoulder and pulled him close, saying, "It's good to see you, man. Ya don't have to worry about Nabiki here, tell us what's really going on, dude."

Akane added, "Yeah, you know you can trust us."

Scratching his head, still lost in confusion, Ryoga managed to mumble a response after a couple of awkward moments. "I thought Nabiki and that Dai guy already did?"

Ranma hung his head. Turning to Akane, he whispered, "Is it just me or does he seem denser then before?"

Akane's arm shook, almost as if she wanted to grasp something but was holding herself back. Finally, she whispered back, "Be nice."

Turning back to Ryoga, Akane asked, "Ryoga, whatever Nabiki has on you, you don't have to worry. After all, in time I did come to accept your curse, didn't I?

Ryoga scratched the back of his head, "Uh, I thought I told you about that when I first arrived... Oh yeah, that's right, that Dai guy mentioned that I had kept his curse a secret to most of the people around here for a long time."

Ranma and Akane nodded dumbly at this.

X X X

"Oh, foreign food! How quaint!"

Eryn blinked. It took his mind a few moments to register the fact that, unlike a lot of what he read now a days, that sign was actually written in English. For some reason, he felt an eerie sense of familiarity, though he wasn't sure why... after all he had never been to DesChain Norwegian BBQ before, had he?

As soon as he had been dragged inside, Eryn noted that the place had an odd feel to it. It looked normal enough, for a Nerima district restaurant, that is. It had normal wooden walls, which were lined with an assortment of shields, spears, and plushies.

The plushie part would have gotten him, but since coming to the Ranmaverse, he had seen weirder.

Turning around and finally managing to pull himself free of Kodachi's grasp, he watched as she addressed the hostess.

"Peasant, We have come here to dine. Supply us with a table, suitable to our obvious nobility."

The young hostess, a ten-year-old girl decked out in a pink sundress, with a small nametag, replied, "Okay. Follow me, Ms. Nobility."

As they walked towards the other side of the restaurant the girl started talking... a lot.

"So do you like the decorations? My brothers let me pick it out!"

"Do you like plushies? I love plushies! I'm even developing a... what's it called? Martian Art based on 'em!"

"Ms. Nobility, what's with the weird outfit? Are you some kind of cos... cos... coscoplayer? I have a cousin that's into coscoplaying! He likes to dress up as video game characters! His favorite is Mario. Do you like Mario? I think he's cute, and cuddly, and funny!"

"Do you like Martian arts? My brothers love 'em. Whenever we close shop, they're always practicing. We go through a lot of bricks and wood that way. Do you two practice Martian Arts?"

"You ever been to Ucchans? My brothers won't let me go. They say the owner is in a... what'd they call it? A harem? What's a harem? My big brother Aaron says it means she's a skank. What's a skank?"

"Mister, you look kinda funny, y'know? Is your hair naturally that way? I wish my hair looked like that. It's all nice and shiny. Can I feel your hair? Please, please, please, please, please?"

Finally, at their table, Eryn put his head down on the cold surface. Holding the side of his head, he mumbled, "Oh, why, God? What'd I do to deserve this...?" Looking up at Kodachi, Eryn deadpanned, "Oh yeah, that's right. I'm in hell."

X X X

Ryoga was having a rough time of it convincing Ranma and Akane of his identity and the absurdity of his origin. He had never thought the two were this dense. Ranma maybe, but not Akane.

Looking around, he spotted the koi pond at the very edge of his of his vision and inspiration struck. Turning to Akane, he asked hurriedly, "Get some hot water, quick!"

Rushing headlong at the koi pond, he never spotted Kari, or to be specific her rather strange activity. The fanged boy was about to jump into the air when one of Kari's kunai whizzed by the side of his head. He visibly gulped. Turning to his younger, shorter friend, Ryoga asked cautiously, "Um, are you okay?"

Kari looked at Ryoga and replied in a dull tone, "Just peachy."

"Oh, ok good then. I'll be back in a minute, gotta take a dive to prove I'm not Ryoga."

Kari scratched her head, having to take a moment before figuring out exactly what her friend meant. A moment later and she had to scoot backwards to avoid the large splash her friend caused by jumping into the koi pond.

Walking over, she commented to her friend, "You know, Snuffles, one of these days you and me have to have a talk about proper diving etiquette."

"Ruff!" was all the female ninja got in response.

Coming back outside with a small glass of hot water, looking around, Akane became perplexed, until she noticed the dog. Rushing over to it, she asked, "Hey, where's Ryoga? Oh, look! A cute doggie!" After giving the mutt a hug, she pressed on, "Can we keep him? Huh?"

Everybody present sweat dropped. Kari was about to interject with her story of the mutt being her pet when Akane cut her short, "And I shall call you P-Chan the second!"

Ranma turned to Kari and asked, "Umm... am I seeing things, or is that not a pig?"

Rolling her eyes, Kari mouthed, "Dumbass," before walking over to Akane and asking, "Um... What do you mean by P-chan? It isn't exactly a pig, now is it?"

Akane rubbed her hand over the top of Kari's head playfully and responded, "Silly, it stands for Puppy-Chan!"

Kari massaged the side of her head and mumbled, "Then I'm sure glad he isn't a cat."

X X X

Daisetsu sat back and listened as Nabiki explained the technical situation of the business to her father in minute detail and why it was that they required Soun to sign off on it all. Daisetsu was himself barely able to get the gist of what she was saying. The glazed look in Soun's eyes told him that his adopted father had long ago lost anything resembling a clue about what Nabiki was saying. No doubt that was all part of her plan. As he himself was fond of saying, if you can't dazzle them with dexterity, baffle them with bullshit.

"So you see Daddy, while we would run the company and handle all the day to day details, you'd be the owner in trust until Dai and I were of legal age. In exchange we'd forward to you 2 of the profits after expenses and our own salaries of course. The rest would be reinvested into the company." Nabiki was in her glory. She let her Tiger play man of the house but they both agreed that when it came to financial matters, she was indisputably the boss.

"Okay sweetie, whatever you think is best," Soun agreed as he numbly picked up the pen and signed all the papers Nabiki handed him. He would have signed anything at that point to make the humming in his ears from his middle daughters explanations cease.

Nabiki smiled. It was all so easy.

X X X

He wasn't sure how she had managed it, but she had, and now he, as always, would pay the price. Somehow, with only a few short sentences, Kodachi had managed to start a blood feud between Eryn and the family that ran the restaurant.

Now the waiter and cook demanded a match against him in two weeks. Another handicap match, gods how he wished hehad a gun.

In a way, he thought, Nerima was like the mob. Just when you think you're out, it pulls you back in. It seemed somewhere, someone really bore a grudge against him. Well, either that or he naturally attracted sadists. Likely both.

Looking down, Eryn continued to scrub dishes; paying for the meals, tables, and other such objects Kodachi had destroyed while trying to 'Protect her knight's honor.'

Damn gymnasts.

A bellowed echoed from the front of the restaurant, "And don't forget, if they aren't sparkling we'll have you arrested!"

Eryn heard footsteps come up from behind him. "Do you like kitties? My brothers won't let me have one. They say they are foul creatures of the dread night. What's a dread night? I think they say that though because their allergic. Are you allergic to anything? Is that why you have such funny hair?"

Damn Vikings.

X X X

Nabiki and Daisetsu made their way up to Nabiki's room after the signing was over and deal made. The room was much the same as it had been in previous years, with the exception of the larger bed and a few of Daisetsu's things.

The middle Tendo daughter took a seat on the edge of her bed, her husband taking a seat next to her. She began to look through the papers, making sure that her father had gotten everything right. It would be just like him to misspell his name on an important document like this...

Daisetsu grinned, looking over at his wife. "So, Nabiki..." He leaned over, kissing the nape of her neck, his hand finding a spot on her thigh.

His wife scooted over, irritation obvious on her face and in her voice. "Oi, Dai, what's gotten into you?" Couldn't he see that she was trying to work?

Daisetsu seemed momentarily taken aback. "You're usually raring to go after completing a business deal like that."

"Are you saying I'm a whore?"

Daisetsu wondered just where she got that from. "No! Nothing like that!"

Nabiki glared at her husband. "Look, I'm busy, and not with you. So you can go elsewhere right now, all right?"

Daisetsu could take a hint. He left the room.

Dejected and irritable was his mood when Dai arrived downstairs and saw Ranma and Akane gushing over a soaking wet Ryoga. He had probably just demonstrated his curse.

He didn't even notice Kari sulking on the patio until he tripped on her. He almost fell, but he quickly caught himself.

"Watch where the hell you're going!" the ninja shouted. She had been in a bad mood all day, and even now Ryoga, Ranma, and Akane seemed to be excluding her. She was definitely not in the best of moods at the moment.

Daisetsu was feeling much the same. "Hey, you violent, uncouth thug! You shouldn't be sitting right in the middle of the patio! Use that brain of yours for once, it could use the exercise!"

Kari wasn't about to take that abuse sitting down! The girl jumped to her feet and got right into the older boy's face. "Look, do you want a fight? Because I'm not in the mood to put up with any of your 'I hate ninja' crap, and I'm definitely not in the mood to take any of your insults."

"So you respond with your fists? Way to go, just prove yourself to be that uncouth thug I accused you of being." Daisetsu snorted, noticing that the other three teens in the yard were staring at him and Kari, but not caring.

Kari snapped. Her fist shot out in a lightning-quick punch, though Daisetsu was dodging before she had even tightened her muscles. The fight was on, as Daisetsu made his way out into the yard, shouting more insults as he weaved his way around a multitude of punches and kicks. He even threw a few blows of his own, when he could find an opening among Kari's wild yet rapid strikes.

"She's so... violent," Akane muttered as she watched the events unfold.

"Yeah," Ranma agreed, "but Dai could've been more polite, too."

Ryoga groaned. "Look, you're both right. So it's both of their faults. But they just can't keep fighting like this." The lost boy took it upon himself to throw himself in the middle of the fray. Predictably, he got nailed by both fighters as soon as he came near them. He ended up face-down in the koi pond, a dog once more.

"Ryoga!" Ranma and Akane both shouted, rushing over to the boy to see if he was all right.

Kari and Daisetsu hadn't even noticed. Or, if they had, it didn't bother them enough to stop their brawl.

Seeing that Ryoga was indeed okay, Ranma stood and cracked her knuckles, female from dragging the alternate version of his rival out of the koi pond. "Looks like I'll have to stop them the hard way."

A few moments and several blows later, Kari and Daisetsu found themselves glaring at each other, but the fighting had stopped.

Kari couldn't decide whether to be irritated at having the fight end without a decisive victor, or just relieved that she got to take some of her frustrations out.

Daisetsu brushed some dirt off of his clothes. "Well, if the thug is finished, I'll be going back inside." He turned and walked back into the house, patiently ignoring the daggers that Kari was glaring at him. What he couldn't ignore was the mallet that Akane had handed Kari to throw at his head.

X X X

It was a few hours later before the two had calmed downed and those missing from the dojo returned. Nabiki stood behind a podium while she regarded the other occupants of the Dojo. All the members of YEN were present and seated. "I've called this meeting to get an important matter settled. We've just made YEN an official entity with my father as the nominal owner and with Daisetsu and myself as co-presidents. In addition to your salaries, you'll each be given a two percent interest in the company itself. This leaves the bulk of the company available for potential future members as well as for public sale if we ever need the capital. What we need and don't have however is a field leader that the rest of you will follow while on missions. That is the purpose of this meeting, to hash out who has control of the group while in the field."

Tatewaki Kuno immediately stood up to be recognized. "There is no need for this meeting to proceed further. I humbly accept the position of team leader. Fear not, for though our perils may be great I shall be mighty! Surely we can not fail with one as great as me at the helm. Verily, surely riches, fame and glory shall follow."

Pretty much everyone rolled their eyes at that. Kodachi however didn't waste time with such trivial facial expressions. "Nonsense brother dear. The natural leader to this little party is of course my fiancé, Eryn Belmont!" She then proceeded to push the boy forward.

"Err," he muttered as he looked out over the faces of the others. Lead these people? That would require turning his back to them. Better to make sure no one would vote for him. "If I am elected leader then I swear to have nude Tuesdays and Thursdays, Monday's will be optional and Atheists will have to work on Sundays!"

As Eryn returned to his seat, Kari spoke up. "My vote goes to Ryoga. He's likeable and his heart is in the right place. What's more is that he's a powerful martial artist with a great deal of unrealized potential. As it is, he could probably take any of the rest of you."

She had more to say in promotion of her friend, but was interrupted by Daisetsu's mutterings. "Never mind the blind leading the blind, we'd have the misled following the lost."

"I suppose you could do better?" retorted Kari.

"This isn't really necessary," Ryoga was protesting weakly.

Daisetsu was responding to Kari at the same time that Ryoga was speaking, thus drowning out the younger boys protest. "As a matter of a fact, I could."

"Prove it!" countered Kari.

That caused Daisetsu to pause. He couldn't exactly tell them about his previous leadership experience without revealing a whole lot more about his past then he wanted to. Actually, revealing his past would no doubt have Nabiki raising questions about his sanity, although the other SI's might actually buy it. Fortunately, he had more recent experiences to relate. "I don't judge a leader by his ability to fight. So I won't deny that Ryoga is a formidable martial artist. What makes a good leader is the ability to think on your feet and to come up with a plan to that gets the mission accomplished. When we were surrounded by the authorities, I took charge and I got us out of there."

"And now we're outlaws!" Kari realized that Daisetsu had made a valid point, but so was the fact that they were now on the lam.

"It's true that we're wanted, but we would have been captured, arrested, or worse had we stayed put." Daisetsu crossed his arms across his chest. He couldn't believe that the miserable little thug was so ungrateful.

Kari did some quick mental calculations. Tatewaki would vote for himself and Kodachi would vote for Eryn. She had no doubt that Nabiki, Bokkai and Daisetsu would vote for Daisetsu. She would vote for Ryoga and she was pretty sure that she could brow beat the lost boy in doing likewise. That left Eryn and Sei. Both were wild cards and in theory at least, their votes could go either way. That meant that Ryoga had a chance at it. She crossed her own arms. "I say we put it to a vote!"

Nabiki cleared her throat. "You seem to be under a mistaken notion Miss Umikage. This is not a democracy. This is a business and while your two percent shares allow you a say and in theory even a vote, the controlling shares rest squarely with Daisetsu and myself. Even if all the rest of you were united in your stand—and you're not—we'd still be the ones to decide policy for YEN. Daisetsu is the team's field leader. If you don't like it, then you can leave." She glared icily across the faces of the rest of the group. "This goes for the rest of you as well."

Sei stood up. "With all due respect Nabiki, if this is how things are going to be done around here, then I think I'd be better off on my own." He'd actually been thinking about going off on his own for awhile now. Well, at least since the afternoon spent with Kuno. "I'll be leaving the group now. No hard feelings or anything, but I feel that I have to find my own way for now. Hopefully we'll be able to work together again in the future."

Nabiki's eye twitched slightly, but before she could come up with a way to keep Sei in the group, Daisetsu stood up and strode over to Sei to shake his hand. "I understand what you're saying Sei. Good luck and I hope to see you again."

The bow master accepted the proffered hand. "Don't worry guys, if they catch me, they won't get anything from me. Someone else can pilot Tiny Tim. I don't think I could hide it, much less maintain it on my own." With that, he walked out of the Dojo without looking back.

"Now what do we do?" asked Ryoga to ease the tension that was now prevalent in the room.

Nabiki snapped her fingers. "I know! How about we celebrate by going out? I know this great little Karaoke bar."

Daisetsu quailed, he hated Karaoke.

Seeing his distress, Kari immediately put in with a smile. "Sounds like a splendid plan!"

X X X

Damien walked through the wreckage calmly. As soon as the police had been done with the security detail assigned to guard the mecha, they had gotten on a plane to Australia. As a unit they had all been transferred there. The order had not come through him and he was one of three people who could have given it. The other two were the owner of the company, Dr. Matthew Knight, and his assistant, Robyn Synth. Normally either would have cleared such a move with him first, as a courtesy if nothing else. This was highly unusual.

What was alarming was that the plane that the entire team had boarded had crashed due to a freak engine malfunction. It irked Damien that he wouldn't have his chance to discuss matters with the team leader. This had all the signs of a cover up. Who ever was responsible for it was either an amateur or else supremely confident that they wouldn't be caught or otherwise brought to task for this. That more than irked him. It out right infuriated him... not that one could tell by looking at his calm demeanor.

He flipped open his cell phone and hit the speed dial. After only a couple of rings it was answered. "Hello, Mr. Hunter."

Damien noted that Matthew was being unusually formal today. "Good day Matthew. I'm at the sight of the crash."

"Yes," replied Matthew. "I had the team transferred to keep them out of the media. I hope that you don't mind that I went around you on this."

"Of course not." Damien was a little put out, but could understand his friend's position.

Matthew went on. "Do you think it was really an accident?"

"No," Damien immediately replied. "Someone doesn't want me to know what happened."

"Indeed? Well, I trust you'll find out what happened and deal with the situation." There seemed to be an unusual forcefulness in Matthew's voice. No doubt he was being pressured by various forces.

"Naturally, although I'm a little at a loss as to how someone found out about the transfer so fast and managed the sabotage so quickly." Damien was beginning to get distracted. There was something he was missing.

"Well, as I said, I trust you can handle it Mr. Hunter." Matthew sounded as though he was busy and wanted to end the conversation.

"I'll get back to you when I have more answers, sir." It was Damien's turn to be formal. He was thinking he was making a joke.

Apparently Matt missed the punch line. "See that you do. I pay you damn good money for results." And then he hung up.

Damien stared at the phone for a minute until a thought struck him. Matthew hadn't asked how close he was to recovering the stolen Mecha.


End file.
